A bright prospect, Busby won 56 games in his first three full seasons, only to have his career derailed by a
rotator cuff tear. Drafted by the Royals in
1971 in the second round, the
University of Southern California graduate made his major league debut the following season and stuck in the majors for good in
1973, when he won 16 games and on April 27 pitched the first
no-hitter in Kansas City Royals history, defeating the
Detroit Tigers at
Tiger Stadium 3–0 on April 27. Busby became the first no-hit pitcher who did not come to bat during the entire game, with the
American League having adopted the
designated hitter rule that year. Late in the
1972 season on September 20 against the
California Angels, Busby hit a first-inning
grand slam only to have it taken back by the first base umpire
John Rice, who said time out had been called to eject
Jerry May. Nonetheless, Busby went on to hit a double and two singles in the game, while also earning the victory on the mound. In
1974, Busby enjoyed his best season, winning 22 games and making the
American League All-Star team. He also pitched a second no-hitter on June 19, this one against the
Milwaukee Brewers at
County Stadium. Yielding only a second-inning walk to
George Scott, Busby defeated the Brewers 2–0, besting
Clyde Wright—himself a no-hit pitcher in 1970. With this no-hitter, Busby became the first pitcher in major-league history to throw no-hitters in each of his first two complete seasons. In
1975, he won 18 games and made the
All-Star team again. Busby had struggled with his control early in his career, but his problems returned to a greater degree in
1976 when he was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff; an injury that at the time ended a pitcher's career. Busby subsequently became the first baseball player to undergo rotator cuff surgery. In an effort to help his arm recover from the surgery, his doctor recommended that Busby be placed on a
pitch count. He is often believed to be the first baseball player to be placed on a pitch count, something that Busby has stated is a myth. Before his injury, he is alleged to have thrown close to 200 pitches in a game, which Busby also says is untrue. The surgery did not save Busby's career. After missing the entire
1977 season and most of
1978, he pitched in 22 games (including 12 starts) the
next year, compiling a respectable 6–6 record with a 3.63
ERA, but his
walks outnumbered his
strikeouts (64-to-45). In
1980, he even pitched a one-hitter, but otherwise pitched ineffectively, compiling a 6.17 ERA and allowing 80 baserunners in 42.1
innings. He pitched his final game on August 26 and the Royals released him three days later. Busby signed a contract with the
St. Louis Cardinals before the season, but never pitched in the major leagues again. In an eight-year career, Busby posted a 70–54 record with 659 strikeouts and a 3.72 ERA in 1060.2 innings. Busby and
outfielder Amos Otis were the first two players elected to the Royals Hall of Fame. In 2009, Busby was elected to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. His 70 career victories ranks him ninth on the Royals' all-time list. ==Broadcasting career==