Earl L. Carlyle, nicknamed Buddy, was born on December 21, 1977 in Omaha, Nebraska. He is a pitcher, currently with the Atlanta Braves.

Buddy is 6'3", weighs 210 pounds, bats left and throws right.

High School
Earl attended Bellevue East High School in Bellevue, Nebraska. In addition to baseball, he lettered in football.

Minor Leagues
Buddy was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft.

He spent three years in the Reds organization before being traded to the San Diego Padres for Marc Kroon on April 8, 1998.

He played for the Mobile BayBears and Las Vegas Stars before making his major league debut on August 29, 1999. In his first year, Buddy appeared in 7 games, recording a 1-3 record and a 5.97 ERA while striking out 17 batters.

On November 3, 2000, the Padres sold Buddy's contract to the Hanshin Tigers of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. In two seasons with Hanshin, he went 7-12 with a 4.29 ERA and 124 strikeouts.

Buddy was picked up by the Kansas City Royals as a free agent after the 2002 season.

He spent his time during the 2003 season between the Double-A Wichita Wranglers and the Triple-A Omaha Royals. After the season, he was granted free agency and signed with the New York Yankees on December 23.

While pitching for Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Columbus, he compiled a 12-5 win-loss record with a 3.19 ERA and 140 strikeouts in 27 games played.

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Carlyle for the 2005 season. He began the season on the Dodgers roster, making his first big league appearance since 2000 on April 6. However, he was sent back down to the minors in May.

In addition, he had an appendectomy in June, and he spent the rest of the season rehabbing in the minor leagues.

The Florida Marlins signed him on November 10, 2005.

Buddy began 2006 with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, going 1-3 with a 1.93 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 13 games. His contract was sold to the LG Twins in Seoul, Korea, however.

On December 14, 2006, the Atlanta Braves invited Buddy to spring training. He was reassigned to the minor leagues on March 30, 2007, but after going 5-2 with a 2.59 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 9 games for the Richmond Braves, he was called back up on May 25.

Buddy made his Braves debut on May 26, 2007, in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies, in which he went 4 innings, surrendering five earned runs on six hits and allowing two walks. It was his first start in the Major Leagues since 1999.

Buddy earned his first win of the season, and his first since 1999 on June 5.

He finished his best season with an 8-7 record and a 5.21 ERA.

Buddy began the 2008 season playing for the Triple-A Richmond Braves, but was promoted to Atlanta on April 15, due to an injury to Peter Moylan.

The Immaculate Inning
On July 6, 2007, Buddy, pitching against the San Diego Padres in the fourth inning, struck out the side on the minimum nine pitches. It was only the 40th time in major league history that this has been done (twenty-seven times in the National League, twelve times in the American league, and three times in interleague play).

Personal
Buddy and his wife Jessica have one son, Carter, and one daughter, Kennedy.