Thomas P. "Oyster" Burns (September 6, 1864November 11, 1928) was an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
player whose career spanned 15 seasons, 11 of which were spent with the
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB)
Wilmington Quicksteps The Wilmington Quicksteps (also known as the Quickstep Club of Wilmington) were an 1884 late-season replacement baseball team in the Union Association. They finished with a 2-16 record and were managed by Joe Simmons. The team played their home ga ...
(1884),
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
(1884–85, 1887–88),
Brooklyn Bridegrooms
The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californi ...
(1888–1895), and
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
(1895). Burns, who predominately played as an
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
, also played as a
shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...
,
second baseman,
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
, and
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
. Over his career, Burns compiled a career
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
of .300 with 870
runs scored
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls ...
, 1,392
hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...
, 224
doubles, 129
triples
TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...
, 65
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s, and 834
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
(RBI) in 1,188
games played
Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.
Basebal ...
. Although the majority of his career was spent in the major leagues, Burns also played in
minor league baseball. He made his MLB debut at the age of 19 and was listed as standing and weighing .
Burns, nicknamed "Oyster" because he sold shellfish in the off-season, was described as a "loudmouth" and having "an irritating voice and personality".
He led the Bridegrooms to an
American Association American Association may refer to:
Baseball
* American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891
* American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997
* American Association of Profe ...
championship in 1889 and a
National League pennant
The National League pennant winner of a given Major League Baseball season is the team that wins the championship—the pennant—of MLB's National League (NL). This team receives the Warren C. Giles Trophy and the right to play in the World S ...
in 1890. After retiring from baseball, Burns died on November 11, 1928, in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, New York.
Biography
Thomas P. Burns was born on September 6, 1864, in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. His parents, Patrick and Mary Burns, were both Irish immigrants.
In 1883, Burns began his professional baseball career as an outfielder and pitcher with
Harrisburg
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...
of the minor-league
Interstate Association. He had a batting average of .220 in 69 games. As a pitcher, Burns posted an
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA) of 2.30 over 20 games pitched, 15 of which were
starts.
![Oyster Burns baseball card](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Oyster_Burns_baseball_card.jpg)
Burns began the 1884 season playing for the Wilmington Quicksteps, but left the team after they joined the
Union Association
The Union Association was a league in Major League Baseball which lasted for just the 1884 season. St. Louis won the pennant and joined the National League the following season.
Seven of the twelve teams who were in the Association at some poi ...
,
and joined the Baltimore Orioles. Burns—the youngest player on the Orioles and the seventh youngest player in the American Association
— batted .298. Despite playing in only 35 games on the season, Burns recorded a team-leading six home runs over 141
plate appearance
In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner ...
s.
He continued his career with the Orioles in 1885, batting .231 with five home runs and 37 RBI, and pitching to a 7–4
win–loss record
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...
. His offensive struggles led him to be demoted to the
Newark Domestics for the 1886 season,
where he helped the Domestics win the
Eastern League pennant.
Burns led the league in batting average (.352),
slugging percentage
In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...
(.558), and home runs (10). By 1887, Burns had reentered the majors for the Orioles and became the team captain until he threw a
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
at an opposing pitcher following a
groundout;
he was later fined
$25 ($ in 2011).
On the season, he recorded nine home runs—good for third in the American Association. Burns's 19 triples were enough to tie him with five others for the league lead, and his 140 games played were tied for the league lead with teammate
Blondie Purcell
William Aloysius "Blondie" Purcell (born March 16, 1854) was an American Major League Baseball player born in Paterson, New Jersey. He played for nine different major league teams from 1879 to 1890. Purcell played mainly as an outfielder, and he ...
.
After playing in 79 games for Baltimore in 1888, Burns was transferred to the Brooklyn Bridegrooms by
Harry Von der Horst
Harry Von der Horst (c. 1850 – July 28, 1905) was an executive in Major League Baseball and a former owner of the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Superbas. He was one of the principal founders and owners of the old 19th century Baltimore Orioles ...
, the owner of both clubs.
While he was playing for the Bridegrooms, the ''
New York Clipper
The ''New York Clipper'', also known as ''The Clipper'', was a weekly entertainment newspaper published in New York City from 1853 to 1924. It covered many topics, including circuses, dance, music, the outdoors, sports, and theatre. It had a ...
'' described Burns as "the noisiest man that ever played on the Brooklyn team. His voice reminds one of a buzz-saw."
Burns remained with the Bridegrooms for the 1889 season. He recorded team highs in
on-base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
, batting average, and home runs, while the Bridegrooms, with an 89–48 record, became American Association champions. In the
1889 World Series
The 1889 World Series was an end-of-the-year baseball playoff series between the National League champion New York Giants and the American Association champion Brooklyn Bridegrooms (later known as the Dodgers).
This Series was part of the pre-m ...
, the Bridegrooms played the New York Giants of the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
. Burns hit a three-run home run to win the fourth game of the series, giving Brooklyn a 3–1 series lead. However, the Giants would take the World Series after winning five straight games.
In 1890, the Bridegrooms had moved to the National League. Burns, now 26, led the league in home runs (13) and RBI (128). He
hit for the cycle
In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hits a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are rare in Major League Ba ...
on August 1, 1890—becoming the first Bridegroom to do so. The team won the National League pennant, and faced the
Louisville Colonels
The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as ...
in the
1890 World Series
The 1890 World Series was an end-of-the-year baseball playoff series between the National League champion Brooklyn Bridegrooms (later known as the Dodgers) and the American Association champion Louisville Colonels.
This Series was part of the p ...
. The series ended in a 3–3–1 tie: bad weather led to the cancellation of more games.
After the 1891 season, Burns' 1892 RBI total was third in the league, and his hits, doubles, triples, and batting average marks were the second highest on the Brooklyn team, now named the Grooms. In 1893, between games of a
doubleheader, a teammate of Burns,
Tom Daly, was sleeping in
center field
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the Baseball positions, baseball and softball fielding position between Left fielder, left field and Right fielder, right field. In the numberi ...
when Burns stabbed Daly with a
penknife
Penknife, or pen knife, is a British English term for a small folding knife. Today the word ''penknife'' is the common British English term for both a pocketknife, which can have single or multiple blades, and for multi-tools, with additional too ...
. Daly awoke and turned on the knife, leading to a severed
tendon
A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...
which kept Daly out for two weeks.
Burns' 1894 batting average (.355) was the highest of his career; his hit and run totals were also the second highest in his career. Burns continued to play for the club until 1895, when he played for the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
. In his final MLB year, he batted a combined .258 over 53 games.
In 1896, Burns' contract was purchased by the minor-league
Newark Colts. The Colts won the
Atlantic League with an 82–61 record, two games above the
Hartford Bluebirds
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
,
as Burns batted .378. The next season, Burns served as a
player-coach
A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...
for the Bluebirds, where he led the team in doubles and batting average. In 1901, his final managerial year, he managed the
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...
team of the
New England League
The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played intermittently in five of the six New England states (Vermont excepted) between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League B ...
.
After retiring from baseball, Burns lived in Brooklyn until his death on November 11, 1928.
He was buried in
Holy Cross Cemetery in
North Arlington, New Jersey
North Arlington is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 15,392,[List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders
In baseball, a triple is a hit in which the batter advances to third base in one play, with neither the benefit of a fielding error nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice. Triples were more common in baseball's dead-ball era, whe ...]
*
List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit so far that the batter is able to circle all the bases ending at home plate, scoring himself plus any runners already on base, with no errors by the defensive team on the play. An automati ...
*
List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders
In baseball, a run batted in (RBI) is awarded to a Batting (baseball), batter for each Baserunning, runner who Run (baseball), scores as a result of the batter's action, including a Hit (baseball), hit, fielder's choice, sacrifice fly, bases loade ...
*
List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
In baseball, a triple is recorded when the ball is hit so that the batter is able to advance all the way to third base, scoring any runners who were already on base, with no errors by the defensive team on the play. In Major League Baseball (ML ...
*
List of Major League Baseball annual saves leaders
The following is a list of annual leaders in saves in Major League Baseball (MLB), with separate lists for the American League and the National League. The list includes several professional leagues and associations that were never part of MLB.
...
*
List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
In baseball, completing the cycle is the accomplishment of hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. In terms of frequency, the cycle is roughly as common as a no-hitter; ''Baseball Digest'' calls it "one of the ra ...
References
;General
*
*
;Specific
External links
, o
Retrosheet*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, Oyster
1864 births
1928 deaths
19th-century baseball players
American people of Irish descent
Baltimore Orioles (AA) players
Baseball players from Philadelphia
Brooklyn Bridegrooms players
Brooklyn Grooms players
Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery (North Arlington, New Jersey)
Grand Rapids Gold Bugs players
Grand Rapids Rippers players
Harrisburg (minor league baseball) players
Hartford Bluebirds players
Major League Baseball right fielders
Minor league baseball managers
National League home run champions
National League RBI champions
New York Giants (NL) players
Newark Colts players
Newark Domestics players
Newark Little Giants players
Wilmington Quicksteps (minor league) players
Wilmington Quicksteps players