Bertram Ray Burris (born August 22, 1950) is an American former

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 ...

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), and the current rehabilitation pitching coordinator in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He played in MLB from 1973 through 1987 for seven different teams. Listed at and , he threw and batted right-handed.

Early years

Burris was born in

Idabel, Oklahoma Idabel is a city in and county seat of McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 7,010 at the 2010 census. It is located in the southeast corner of Oklahoma, a tourist area known as Choctaw Country. History Idabel was estab ...

. The son of

sharecroppers Sharecropping is a legal arrangement with regard to agricultural land in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping has a long history and there are a wide range ...

, Burris spent up to fifteen hours a day working the fields with his family through high school. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Recreational Leadership at

Southwestern Oklahoma State University Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) is a public university in Weatherford and Sayre, Oklahoma. It is one of six Regional University System of Oklahoma members. History SWOSU was first established through an act of the Oklahoma Ter ...

, in addition to playing

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and baseball. In , he received

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

honors and set a

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its st ...

record with 150

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

, and pitched the

Bulldogs The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.Chicago Cubs in the 17th round of the

1972 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1972 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Other notable selections ''*'' Did not sign Background The Montreal Expos had perhaps their best draft in franc ...

. After just one season in the Cubs' farm system, in which he went 7–5 with a 3.51

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 ...

for the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

Midland Cubs Midland may refer to: Places Australia * Midland, Western Australia Canada * Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick * Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick * Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador * Midland, Ontario India * Midland Ward, Kohima, Na ...

, Burris jumped to the majors to start the season. He made his major league debut in the third game of the season against the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

, and pitched 3.1 innings of scoreless ball. In his next appearance, he made his only start of the season. He pitched five innings of

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

ball to defeat

Jon Matlack Jonathan Trumpbour Matlack (born January 19, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from through for the New York Mets and the Texas Rangers. The three-t ...

and the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

. He did not allow an

earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

until his sixth appearance of the season, against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

. Overall, Burris went 1–1 with a 2.92 ERA. He returned to the bullpen in . His first major league save was an impressive six out save, in which he struck out four of the six Pittsburgh Pirates batters he faced to secure the 1–0 victory. Two days later, he entered a game against the Philadelphia Phillies in the 11th inning with runners on first and second and one out. He struck out Terry Harmon, and got

Bob Boone Robert Raymond Boone (born November 19, 1947) is an American former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who was a four-time All-Star. Born in San Diego, California, he is the son of MLB player Ray Boone, and he is the father o ...

to hit a weak pop up to first base to escape the inning, then pitched two more scoreless innings to earn his second win of the season, and lower his ERA to 0.93. Ray Burris - Chicago Cubs

Things soon took a turn for the worse, however. He entered a 3–3 tie with the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

with

Hank Aaron Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. One of the gre ...

at bat and the bases loaded. The

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

hit a

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

for career

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 ...

721. Burris then allowed an additional two earned runs, while only retiring one batter, before being relieved. By the end of the season, Burris' ERA soared to 6.60. As a starter, he was 0–4 with a 9.41 ERA in five starts, all in the second half of the season. Regardless, Cubs

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

Jim Marshall moved Burris into the

starting rotation R rabbit ears :Indicates a participant in the game who hears things perhaps too well for their own good. A player who becomes nervous or chokes when opposing players or fans yell at or razz them is said to have rabbit ears. Also, an umpire ...

for . He pitched his first career complete game in his first start. His first career shutout on May 26 improved his record to 6–3 with a 3.57 ERA. For the season, Burris led his team with fifteen victories, including each of his final six decisions on the season, and 238.1 innings pitched. In , Burris got off to a 1–7 start. He was given the opening day start, and while he made a

quality start In baseball, a quality start is a statistic for a starting pitcher defined as a game in which the pitcher completes at least six innings and permits no more than three earned runs. The quality start has effectively replaced the 'complete game' a ...

(six innings pitched, two earned runs), he took the loss as

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

starter Lynn McGlothen held the Cubs scoreless. On July 18, he suffered a complete game loss to the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

when Cubs

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 wh ...

Mick Kelleher's ninth inning

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...

led to an unearned run. His record stood at 4–11 at that point; however, Burris soon turned his season around. He pitched a three-hit shutout over the Expos on July 27. On September 11, he pitched into the tenth inning while allowing just one unearned run. He followed that up with back-to-back shutouts of the Expos and Phillies to give him a stretch of 28 innings pitched without an earned run. He went 11–2 with a 2.10 ERA over the remainder of the season to bring his record to 15–13. His fifteen wins, 3.11 ERA, four shutouts and ten complete games all led the Cubs staff. His 249 innings pitched was a career best. Burris pitched the season opener again in , and was again the victim of a hard luck loss. Facing

Tom Seaver George Thomas Seaver (November 17, 1944 – August 31, 2020), nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "the Franchise", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Mets, Cinc ...

and the New York Mets, Burris had a 2–0 lead when he took the mound in the sixth inning.

John Milner John David Milner (December 28, 1949 – January 4, 2000) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder from to for the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Montreal E ...

's RBI

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

brought the score to 2–1. Burris then

intentional walk In baseball, an intentional base on balls, usually referred to as an intentional walk and denoted in baseball scorekeeping by ''IBB'', is a walk issued to a batter by a pitcher with the intent of removing the batter's opportunity to swing at the ...

Dave Kingman David Arthur Kingman (born December 21, 1948), nicknamed "Kong," "King Kong," and "Sky King", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder, first baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter who was a three-time MLB All-Star with 442 career hom ...

to hand the ball to Bruce Sutter with one out and the bases loaded. Sutter allowed all three inherited base runners to score. The long ball got the better of Burris in 1977. He was 14–16 with a 4.72 ERA, and led 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 ...

with 29 home runs allowed. Coincidentally, he also hit his only career home run off Atlanta's

Buzz Capra Lee William Capra (born October 1, 1947), is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, from to . Nicknamed "Buzz", by a neighbor as a child, Capra was a N ...

on May 20. Burris cut down on the home runs in , but his record fell to 7–13. He began the season in the bullpen, which displeased him. Though he was largely ineffective, his best relief performance of the season came in a 23–22 marathon against the Phillies, in which he pitched 1.2 innings of one-hit ball after pitching four innings the previous day. On May 23, the Cubs traded Burris to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

for

reliever In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather ...

Dick Tidrow Richard William Tidrow (May 14, 1947 – July 10, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher and the senior vice president of player personnel and senior advisor to the general manager for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Basebal ...

New York Yankees and New York Mets

Burris' tenure with the Yankees did not go well. He made fifteen appearances in relief, and was 1–3 with a 6.18 ERA. On August 20, he was selected off waivers by the crosstown Mets. Going to the Mets was something of a mixed blessing for Burris, giving him the opportunity to start again, but on a last place team, twenty games back of the first place Pirates. NYM1980R26BURRIS

In his Mets debut, Burris pitched seven innings of two-hit ball against the Cincinnati Reds, while Reds pitcher

Bill Bonham William Gordon Bonham (born October 1, 1948) is a retired former pitcher for the Chicago Cubs (1971–77) and Cincinnati Reds (1978–80). He played for the UCLA Bruins and was a member of the 1969 College World Series team with Chris Chambliss. ...

also held the Mets scoreless. Reliever

Neil Allen Neil Patrick Allen (born January 24, 1958) is an American baseball former pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). Playing career New York Mets The New York Mets drafted Allen out of Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Kansas, in the elevent ...

allowed a run in the eighth, and the Reds won, 1–0. In three more starts over the rest of the season, he went 0–2 with a 4.91 ERA. Looking to solidify his role in the Mets' starting rotation, Burris showed up for Spring training early in . The early work paid off; he had a 2.39 ERA through the end of May. Still, the Mets' anemic offense kept his record to 3–3. On May 2, a throwing error by Mets

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

John Stearns John Hardin Stearns (August 21, 1951 – September 15, 2022), nicknamed "Bad Dude", was an American professional baseball catcher and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Mets from 1975 to 1984 after playing a single ...

led to an unearned run for the San Diego Padres, who went on to win, 1–0. Burris had allowed just two hits over eight innings. He didn't allow an earned run in his next start, however more poor defense led to two unearned runs. Burris ended up with a

no decision A no decision (sometimes written no-decision) is one of either of two sports statistics scenarios; one in baseball and softball, and the other in boxing and related combat sports. Baseball and softball A starting pitcher who leaves a game with ...

despite holding Cincinnati's "

Big Red Machine The Big Red Machine is a nickname for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team that dominated the National League from 1970 to 1979 and is widely recognized as being among the best in baseball history. The team won six National League West Division ti ...

" to just three hits over seven innings. His record stood at 4–6 with a 3.43 ERA when he missed all of July due to a broken thumb. When he returned in August, he pitched a complete game victory over the first-place Expos. The

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

-champion Pirates had moved into first place in the

National League East The National League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. Along with the American League Central it is one of two divisions to have every member win at least one World Series title. The division was created when the National Leag ...

by the time he faced them in his next start. He held them to one run over eight innings to improve his record to 6–6. His record stood at an even 7–7 when he defeated the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

on August 22. He then lost his final six decisions as a Met.

Montreal Expos

During the off season, Burris signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the Expos, and the bad luck that had plagued him in New York continued in Montreal. In his final start of the first half of the

strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

-shortened season, he lost a complete game effort to the Reds, 2–0. His record stood at 3–5 despite a 3.09 ERA. He had far better luck in the second half of the season, as he went 6–2 despite a relatively similar ERA (3.01 in the second half). The Expos went 30–23 to win the second half by half a game over the Cardinals, and take Burris to his only career post season. He made his lone start in game 3 of the

1981 National League Division Series The 1981 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 1981 National League playoffs which began on Tuesday, October 6, and ended on Sunday, October 11. The Division Series was created on August 6 in response to the 1981 Major ...

against the Phillies, and was losing 2–1 when he exited in the fifth inning with one out, and runners on first and second. Bill Lee allowed both inherited runners to score, giving Burris four earned runs in 5.1 innings for the loss. The Expos advanced to the

1981 National League Championship Series The 1981 National League Championship Series was a best-of-five series to end the 1981 National League season. It was the 13th NLCS in all. The series featured the first-half West Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the second-half East ...

against the Dodgers. After

Bill Gullickson William Lee Gullickson (born February 20, 1959) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played professionally in Canada, the U.S. and Japan, during an 18-year professional career, of which 14 seasons were spent in MLB. MLB career ...

lost game 1 to

Burt Hooton Burt Carlton Hooton (born February 7, 1950), nicknamed "Happy", is an American former right-handed starting pitcher and former coach in Major League Baseball. He won 151 games over a 15-year career, mostly with the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dod ...

, Burris took the mound for game 2 against rookie phenom

Fernando Valenzuela Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea (, born November 1, 1960) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from to and to . While he played for six MLB teams, he is best remembered f ...

. In the biggest game of his career, Burris scattered five hits to shutout the Dodgers and even the series. With the series tied at two games apiece, Burris and Valenzuela met again in the decisive fifth game. They dueled to a 1–1 tie through eight innings. Burris departed in the ninth in favor of Expos ace Steve Rogers. Rogers served up a home run to

Rick Monday Robert James "Rick" Monday Jr. (born November 20, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player who now serves as a broadcaster. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a center fielder from 1966 to 1984, most notably as a member ...

to allow the Dodgers to advance to the

1981 World Series The 1981 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1981 season. The 78th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees and the Nati ...

. was a disaster for Burris. Despite pitching complete games in each of his first two starts of the season, he was 0–2 with a 1.13 ERA. By the end of May, his record was 0–7. The Expos scored one or fewer runs in four of those losses. His ERA ballooned to 5.56 by the time manager

Jim Fanning William James Fanning (September 14, 1927 – April 25, 2015) was an American-Canadian catcher, manager and front office executive in Major League Baseball. Often called "Gentleman Jim", Fanning was the first general manager of the Montreal Expo ...

moved him into the bullpen. He earned his first win of the season in relief. On June 21, he pitched three innings of one hit ball against the Mets to earn his second career save. He still made the occasional spot start after his move to the bullpen, and ended the season at 0–11 as a starter. He was 4–3 in relief. After beginning the season in the bullpen, Burris pitched well enough (2.45 ERA) through seventeen appearances to get a shot at starting again. He got a no decision in his first start against the Mets, pitching eight innings, and allowing two runs (one earned). He three hit the Phillies on June 20. Overall, he was 3–5 with a 3.91 ERA as a starter, and 1–2 with a 3.19 ERA in relief.

Oakland A's

During the off season, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics for

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 c ...

Rusty McNealy. Burris started the season in the bullpen. He was called upon for long relief in the second game of the season, and pitched six scoreless innings for the win. After 16.1 innings in relief, in which he had allowed just two earned runs, Burris was handed his first start on April 28. He pitched a four-hit shutout over the Minnesota Twins. A rejuvenated Burris emerged as the top arm in the A's rotation, and he was 7–3 with a 2.13 ERA by the end of May. For the season, he led his team with thirteen wins and 211.2 innings pitched. His 3.32 ERA as a starter (3.15 overall) was also tops among A's starting pitchers. Following the season, the A's sent Burris and two minor leaguers to the Milwaukee Brewers for

Don Sutton Donald Howard Sutton (April 2, 1945 – January 19, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 23 seasons as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakla ...

Milwaukee Brewers

Burris won his first start as a Brewer, then lost his next four starts in a row. On May 14, he was 1–4 with a 2.23 ERA. He had evened his record to 9–9 before losing his last four decisions. Regardless, his nine wins were second-best on the team. On August 11, he struck out Ozzie Guillen for his 1,000th career strikeout. The Brewers released Burris toward the end of spring training in 1986, after which he signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals.

St. Louis Cardinals

Burris went 1–1 with a 2.41 ERA in four starts for the

Louisville Redbirds Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

before he was called up to the majors. He pitched seven innings to win his first start as a Cardinal, 6–3, over the Giants. Additionally, in his first at bat in over two years, Burris connected for a bases loaded

to give the Cards a 3–0 lead. In his next start, Burris was 2-for-3 with four

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 ba ...

. Burris became the first Cardinals pitcher with back-to-back three RBI games since

Dizzy Dean Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean (January 16, 1910 – July 17, 1974), also known as Jerome Herman Dean (both the 1910 and 1920 Censuses show his name as "Jay"), was an American professional baseball pitcher. During his Major League Baseball (MLB) career ...

in . He went 4–5 with a 5.60 ERA as a Cardinal before he was released in August with 55 games remaining on the schedule.

Career stats

{, class=wikitable style="text-align:center" , W , L , Pct ,

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

, G , GS , GF ,

SHO Sho, Shō or SHO may refer to: Music * ''Shō'' (instrument) (笙), a Japanese wind instrument * ''Kane'' (instrument) (鉦), a Japanese percussion instrument * Sho?, a Dubai rock band People * Shō (given name), including ''Sho'' * Shō (su ...

, IP , H , ER , R , HR , BB , K , WP , HBP , BAA , Fld% , Avg. , - , 108 , 134 , , 4.17 , 480 , 302 , 65 , 10 , 2188.2 , 2310 , 1015 , 1133 , 221 , 764 , 1065 , 69 , 54 , .274 , .952 , .151

Coaching career

For the 1987 season, Burris was hired as assistant to Brewers

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

Harry Dalton Harry Inglis Dalton (August 23, 1928 – October 23, 2005) was an American front-office executive in Major League Baseball. He served as general manager of three American League (AL) teams, the Baltimore Orioles (1966–71), California Angels (1 ...

and as a minor-league instructor. While coaching the Stockton Ports in the California League, Burris took the mound for two games. His pitching was better than expected, and he soon found himself back in a Milwaukee Brewers uniform pitching in the major leagues again. He appeared in ten games, going 2–2 with a 5.87 ERA before retiring for the final time as a player. For the 1990 and 1991 seasons, Burris served as Milwaukee's major league pitching coach. In 1992, he became the bullpen coach of the Texas Rangers, and also worked in their front office and minor league systems. In 2001 and 2002, he served as a roving pitching instructor in the Cardinals' farm system. From there, he moved to the Detroit Tigers organization. In 2006, he was pitching coach for the

Oneonta Tigers The Oneonta Tigers were a minor league baseball team located in Oneonta, New York. They were members of the New York–Penn League. The Tigers were the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, and played their home games ...

in the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

. In 2007, he was pitching coach of the

West Michigan Whitecaps The West Michigan Whitecaps are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Comstock Park, Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids, and play their home games at LMCU Ballpa ...

in the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. In 2008, he became pitching coach of the Erie SeaWolves, the Tigers' Double-A affiliate. In 2013, he joined the Phillies organization as pitching coach for the

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in the ...

, the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate. In 2016, he became the Phillies' rehabilitation pitching coach.

References

External links

, o
The Ultimate Mets Database
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burris, Ray 1950 births Living people African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball coaches from Oklahoma Baseball players from Oklahoma Chicago Cubs players Denver Zephyrs players Louisville Redbirds players Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Minor league baseball coaches Major League Baseball pitchers Midland Cubs players Milwaukee Brewers coaches Milwaukee Brewers players Montreal Expos players New York Mets players New York Yankees players Oakland Athletics players People from Idabel, Oklahoma St. Louis Cardinals players Stockton Ports players Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs baseball players Tiburones de La Guaira players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela West Palm Beach Tropics players Wichita Aeros players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople