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Buzz Capra
Ultimate Mets Database popularity ranking: 198 of 1252 players
Lee William Capra
Born: October 1, 1947 at Chicago, Ill.
Throws: Right Bats: Right
Height: 5.10 Weight: 168

Buzz Capra was the most popular Ultimate Mets Database daily lookup on February 20, 2011, June 5, 2012, April 21, 2016, January 1, 2020, and February 9, 2021.

First Mets game: September 15, 1971
Last Mets game: September 18, 1973

Share your memories of Buzz Capra HERE IS WHAT OTHER METS FANS HAVE TO SAY: Mr. Sparkle January 3, 2001 Iremeber him being a pretty good pitcher out of the bullpen but looking at his numbers here they aren't real impressive. I think he was better with the Braves. I'll always remember him for the Pedro Borbon fight during the Rose-Harrelson altercation during the 73 playoffs. EG March 18, 2001 I think he may have won an ERA title with the Braves. John Nigro October 12, 2001 Buzz was my college coach at Northeastern Ill. University. He has toiled around the minor leagues as a pitching coach and has never been back to the majors as one. I can't understand why he hasn't had a chance, knowing his style and the success he had in the bigs as pitcher. Mike November 16, 2001 Didn't he punch out Pedro Borbon? Metsmind December 23, 2002 The day BEFORE Willie Mays made his Mets debut, I saw Buzz beat Juan Marichal 1-0 at Shea. Quite a weekend. Ken January 17, 2003 Buzz was bitten by Pedro Borbon in the Harrelson-Rose brawl. He was traded to to the Braves the next season, and later led the NL in ERA! val April 23, 2003 Hey I think that's great that you all remember Buzz. He's my cousin. He is no longer in baseball. Although I believe he has a baseball camp for kids. kevin capra March 13, 2004 I remember, my dad would talk about him. He never told me how he was related to him, but I remember him telling me he was. I never met him, and my dad said he was a great player. I've looked him up a few times, and yes, every Capra has that spunk that Buzz had. It's a competitive edge we all have. Kiwiwriter August 3, 2004 I love this...they trade him to Atlanta, and he is an All-Star with them and wins the ERA title in 1974. ARRRRRRRRRGH. Great baseball name, too. Buzz Capra. It rolls right off the tongue. KMT May 23, 2005 I still think of Buzz with fondness for his part in the brawl with the Reds during the '73 playoffs! He and Borbon moved away from the main pile and really got into it! Thought it showed a lot of guts to make it in from the pen to backup another teamate! We once again gave up on a player too soon. Buzz did win the '74 ERA Title. They must have overused him though, he was never the same after that! Bob L. July 18, 2005 I am a life long Cubs fan but also a big Buzz Capra fan. I played Little Leaque with Buzz. I think Buzz got his name from the 'buzz' haircut he had as a kid. In fact, everyone in his family had one except maybe his mother. One thing I will always remember is seeing Buzz's dad hitting him ground balls at Chopin park in Chicago when there was still snow on the ground. Buzz was probably only 10 years old at that time. I am sure his dad had a lot to do with his success since at that time there were very few good Little League coaches to be found. Inz 41 December 2, 2005 I really liked Buzz Capra, a good pitcher, wore #38. I was quite unhappy when the sold him to the Braves. Could never figure out, why. Of course, he pitched well with Atlanta. I loved the way Bob Murphy would say, "BuuhZ CAP-rah". RICH K. (Big RICH) December 9, 2005 I met Lee on the first day of our two week training obligation at Camp McCoy, WI. We hit it off right away when he opened his foot locker and revealed two mitts and a half dozen baseballs. My kind of guy! He was in "A" ball in the Mets system. We played catch together just about every day. Every year Buzz performed well and made it up to triple "A". The Mets had a staff of Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, a kid by the name of Nolan Ryan and Jon Matlack waiting in the wings. Finally, in '70 or '71 I talked to Buzzie at Wrigley Field the day before he was scheduled to pitch againt the Cubs. (It was the only time I ever sat on the visitors side.) I watched him on WGN the following day and it was a very proud event for all of us of the 108 Support Bn. Buzz: I'm still out here and send my warmest regards. RLS December 20, 2006 I had the pleasure of becoming close friends with Buzz while playing twelve inch ball with him for 6 years in a suburb of Chicago. This was way after his playing days, but he still enjoyed playing. He played a good infield. Most down to earth guy I ever met. I will be seeing him this Friday night for some holiday cheer. Ed K June 12, 2007 One of three Mets pitchers who went on to win ERA titles elsewhere. Mike Scott and Nolan Ryan are the others. Funny have the Mets sale of him to Atlanta gets overlooked on all those All-Time Mets Worst Trades lists. If he had his 1974 season with the Mets, maybe they don't fold so badly. Feat Fan August 14, 2007 Capra's '74 season did not go unnoticed by Strat-o-Matic and he was awarded a very impressive card. I had him, Frank Tanana and Doc Medich ( all having pitched for both locals at one time) as my top three starters in a league that I was in. Capra threw a NO HITTER, besting another dual performer, Dock Ellis on his way to a 22-6 2.05 ERA with 223 k's. Funny how those numbers stick in my head. DON CONRAD August 14, 2007 Met Buzz at the 2007 Mets fantasy camp. His team won the championship. Very nice. Mitch45 September 9, 2011 I remember him being a seldom-used arm out of the pen for the early '70s Mets. Had a good arm but was wild. Had a better career with the Braves. I have a '75 baseball card of him somewhere. Jonathan Stern October 19, 2011 As the story goes, Buzz Capra and Pedro Borbon fought each other just after the players pulled Pete Rose and Buddy Harrelson apart. Borbon lost his cap while fighting Capra. After they were separated, Borbon picked up what he thought was his Reds' cap. It turned out to be a Mets' cap. In full rage, he took the cap off of his head, bit into it, and tore it to pieces! I don't know how that is possible, but apparently he really did it. There were witnesses. JK Garnett September 26, 2013 Buzz was a darn good coach. He was my coach at Northeastern Illinois Univ. in 83? Anyway, he gave me some great pitching pointers. He helped perfect my (average) screws and curves into a little better than average. Thanks. Bill Herr October 14, 2015 Growing up in Chicago, I'm a life-long Cubs fan but when the Mets played Wrigley Field in 1971, my dad told me we were distantly related to Buzz Capra, the Mets' starting pitcher, and he had first row tix on the bull pen. I was a confused 12 year old rooting against my Cubbies for the only time in my life. Cubs won and Buzz came over for dinner. I got a ball signed by most of the Mets pitchers including Buzz, Tug McGraw, Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver. My dad shellacked the ball to preserve it and it turned black. Oh well, at least I got to meet Buzz! Old Fashioned Met October 9, 2017 When Buzz was traded to Atlanta just before the start of the 1974 season, it initially looked like a sequel to the disastrous Nolan Ryan deal a few years earlier. In ’74, Capra challenged Phil Niekro as the Braves’ ace pitcher with a 16 ace pitcher with a 16-8 record, a league-leading 2.28 ERA and a spot on the National League All-Star team. He showed signs of stardom that could have plagued the Mets once again. However, his success turned out to be temporary and he was gone after only three more seasons in obscurity. Flitgun Frankie May 18, 2022 Anyone who doubts the Pedro Borbon story, believe it. It really happened. He took Buzz Capra’s Mets cap, put it on his head, not noticing it was a Mets cap. When someone pointed it out to him, he grabbed it, took the bill of the cap in his teeth and tore the cap apart. I know because I saw it and so did everybody else who watched the game on TV, because it all played out on camera. Hopefully, some day, the videotape shows up. It amazes me that video of this incident, and, hell, of the whole game, didn’t get saved. This was 1973, not 1963. Anyway, Capra became a half season sensation that year with the Braves. He actually became a big story, so it wasn’t like he went unnoticed. It’s too bad it didn’t last much longer than that. Larry’s Mets Memories, 50yrs Later July 29, 2022 May 13, 1972 was a combined SHO -Buzz pitching 8 innings, Tug McGraw with the save- in which Buzz batted in the only run of the game -- all accomplished against future Hall-of-Famer Juan Marichal. One of the best performances/feats of the year (along with Tom’s CG & GWHR in Cincy.) However, the 5BB jumps out at me. Control was his chronic problem, not only keeping him out of the rotation but the roster itself. But M. Donald Grant and GM Bob Scheffing gave him away to Atlanta in 1974 for nothing ($) when, to their total oblivion, success was right around the corner. Long term, no harm but it would’ve been a source of Mets pride to claim another NL-ERA leader. Another reminder that between Payson-Grant vs. paying Mets fans, whom the Mets actually belonged to. Or any sports franchise: Plantationists! Learning from “A Hard Day’s Night”: “I Now Know Better!” Eric Tartaglione May 1, 2023 I know him now from Mets Fantasy Camp. What a great guy!! Good pitcher for us then he wins the ERA title with Atlanta the year we sold him, 1974. I was so angry when I saw him introduced as an All Star with ATL! Alex October 30, 2024 Buzz Capra has a Hollywood name. I could easily see that being an actor's name, or perhaps a movie character's name. It's a shame this one-year wonder's one year came the season AFTER he left the Mets and AFTER the Mets went to the World Series in 1973. They might have won more than 82 games in '73 had Capra put it all together that year instead of '74. His performance with the Braves in '74 would win him a Cy Young Award these days. He later became a longtime coach in the minor leagues, including in the Mets system in the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2010, he signed a card for me in 12 days through his home address.

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