Bobby Burke
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1927-1937)
Bobby Burke was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1937 for the Washington Senators and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 11 seasons. Across 254 career appearances, he went 38-46 with a 4.28 ERA and 299 strikeouts. He also batted .194 with 0 home runs.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 150 lb
- Died
- 2/8/1971 in Joliet, IL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1927-04-16
- Last Game
- 1937-05-04
Full name: Robert James Burke
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | WS1 | AL | 3 | 2 | 36 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.0 | 91 | 44 | 32 | 20 | 3.96 | 4.08 (+3%) | -1394.1 |
| 1928 | WS1 | AL | 2 | 4 | 26 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 85.1 | 87 | 37 | 18 | 27 | 3.90 | 4.13 (+6%) | 1775.3 |
| 1929 | WS1 | AL | 6 | 8 | 37 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 141.0 | 154 | 75 | 55 | 51 | 4.79 | 4.60 (-4%) | 621.2 |
| 1930 | WS1 | AL | 3 | 4 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 74.1 | 62 | 30 | 29 | 35 | 3.63 | 4.80 (+24%) | 931.1 |
| 1931 | WS1 | AL | 8 | 3 | 30 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 128.2 | 124 | 61 | 50 | 38 | 4.27 | 4.10 (-4%) | -859.3 |
| 1932 | WS1 | AL | 3 | 6 | 22 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 91.0 | 98 | 52 | 44 | 32 | 5.14 | 4.13 (-25%) | -800.9 |
| 1933 | WS1 | AL | 4 | 3 | 25 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 64.0 | 64 | 23 | 31 | 28 | 3.23 | 3.86 (+16%) | 113.5 |
| 1934 | WS1 | AL | 8 | 8 | 37 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 168.0 | 155 | 60 | 72 | 52 | 3.21 | 4.29 (+25%) | 1008.0 |
| 1935 | WS1 | AL | 1 | 8 | 15 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 66.1 | 90 | 55 | 27 | 16 | 7.46 | 4.35 (-72%) | -1731.6 |
| 1937 | PHI | NL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 38 | 46 | 254 | 88 | 27 | 4 | 5 | 918.2 | 926 | 437 | 360 | 299 | 4.28 | — | -337 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 260 | 278 | 24 | 54 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 11 | 42 | .194 | .225 | .234 | .459 | -239 |
Career AVG .194 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — 30.8% below league average.
Career OBP .225 vs. league average .343 across their career seasons — 34.4% below league average.
Career SLG .234 vs. league average .399 across their career seasons — 41.3% below league average.
Career OPS .459 vs. league average .741 across their career seasons — 38.1% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | WS1 | AL | 36 | 24 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1928 | WS1 | AL | 26 | 20 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1929 | WS1 | AL | 37 | 43 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | .140 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1930 | WS1 | AL | 24 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .174 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1931 | WS1 | AL | 30 | 47 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | .213 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1932 | WS1 | AL | 23 | 25 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1933 | WS1 | AL | 25 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .235 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1934 | WS1 | AL | 41 | 57 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 7 | .228 | .278 (-18%) | .340 (-22%) | .392 (-29%) | .733 (-25%) | -239.3 |
| 1935 | WS1 | AL | 16 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1937 | PHI | NL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 260 | 278 | 24 | 54 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 11 | 42 | .194 | — | — | — | — | -239 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (514 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 135 | 118 | 13 | 26 | 0 | 10 | .220 |
| Away | 125 | 161 | 11 | 28 | 0 | 11 | .174 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 131 | 443.0 | 440 | 194 | 154 | 164 | 3.94 |
| Away | 123 | 476.2 | 487 | 242 | 209 | 137 | 4.57 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937-05-04 | PHI | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-05-03 | PHI | BRO | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-07-06 | MIN | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-07-03 | MIN | BOS | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1935-06-27 | MIN | NYY | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-06-22 | MIN | DET | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-06-14 | MIN | CHW | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-06-11 | MIN | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-06-11 | MIN | CHW | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-06-01 | MIN | PHA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937-05-04 | PHI | CHC | — | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-05-03 | PHI | BRO | — | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-07-06 | MIN | NYY | — | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-07-03 | MIN | BOS | — | 2.1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-06-27 | MIN | NYY | L | 4.0 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1935-06-22 | MIN | DET | L | 7.0 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935-06-11 | MIN | CHW | — | 3.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1935-06-11 | MIN | CHW | — | 0.1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1935-06-01 | MIN | PHA | — | 2.0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1935-05-29 | MIN | NYY | L | 3.2 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | WS1 | P | 36 | 0 | 6 | 24 | 0 | 1 |
| 1928 | WS1 | P | 26 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 1 | 1 |
| 1929 | WS1 | P | 37 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 0 | 1 |
| 1930 | WS1 | P | 24 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| 1931 | WS1 | P | 30 | 0 | 4 | 29 | 1 | 1 |
| 1932 | WS1 | P | 22 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933 | WS1 | P | 25 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 1 |
| 1934 | WS1 | P | 37 | 0 | 8 | 36 | 2 | 1 |
| 1935 | WS1 | P | 15 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937 | PHI | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 254 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bobby Burke (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Bobby Burke: the record in brief
April 16, 1927 and May 4, 1937 bracket Bobby Burke's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Washington Senators (1927 through 1935) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1937). At 6-foot-0 and 150 pounds, Burke is listed as a pitcher. The bio says Burke both batted and threw left-handed. The recorded birth is January 23, 1907, in Joliet, IL, USA. The bio records the death on February 8, 1971, in Joliet, IL, USA. The bio lists the given name Robert James.
Burke pitched in 254 games, starting 88, and finished with a 38-46 record and 4.28 ERA. Also on Burke's record: 299 strikeouts and 27 complete games. Burke's 4.28 ERA was close to the 4.27 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 8 wins of 1931. The strikeout high was 52 in 1934. In 1934, one of the busiest seasons, Burke posted a 3.21 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.29.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bobby Burke
- What years did Bobby Burke play?
- Bobby Burke played in Major League Baseball from 1927 to 1937.
- Was Bobby Burke a pitcher?
- Yes. Bobby Burke pitched in the major leagues, recording 38 wins and 299 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Bobby Burke hit?
- Bobby Burke hit 0 career home runs with 54 hits.
- What teams did Bobby Burke play for?
- Bobby Burke played for 2 teams: the Washington Senators (1927–1935) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1937).
- What were Bobby Burke's career stats?
- In 254 games, Bobby Burke went 38-46 with a 4.28 ERA, 299 strikeouts, 918.2 innings pitched, and 5 saves. At the plate he had 54 hits and 0 home runs.
- What position did Bobby Burke play?
- Bobby Burke played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Bobby Burke and how much did he weigh?
- Bobby Burke was listed at 6 feet and 150 pounds.
- What was Bobby Burke's career ERA?
- Bobby Burke finished with a 4.28 career ERA, going 38-46 with 299 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Bobby Burke have?
- Bobby Burke recorded 299 career strikeouts.
- Is Bobby Burke in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bobby Burke has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.