James Burke
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1882-1884)
James Burke was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1884 for the Buffalo Bisons and the Boston Reds, a span of 3 seasons. Across 40 career appearances, he went 19-16 with a 3.02 ERA and 256 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 6290.5.
- 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
- MLB Debut
- 1882-06-10
- Last Game
- 1884-09-15
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882 | BFN | NL | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11.25 | — | 0.0 |
| 1883 | BFN | NL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5.62 | — | 0.0 |
| 1884 | BSU | UA | 19 | 15 | 38 | 36 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 322.0 | 326 | 102 | 31 | 255 | 2.85 | 3.11 (+8%) | 6290.5 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 19 | 16 | 40 | 38 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 334.0 | 345 | 112 | 34 | 256 | 3.02 | — | 6,290 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | 193 | 21 | 42 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | .218 | .241 | .290 | .531 | -266 |
Career AVG .218 vs. league average .248 across their career seasons — 12.3% below league average.
Career OBP .241 vs. league average .280 across their career seasons — 13.9% below league average.
Career SLG .290 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 12.8% below league average.
Career OPS .531 vs. league average .613 across their career seasons — 13.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882 | BFN | NL | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1883 | BFN | NL | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1884 | BSU | UA | 47 | 184 | 21 | 41 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | .223 | .243 (-8%) | .278 (-11%) | .327 (-9%) | .606 (-10%) | -266.2 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 49 | 193 | 21 | 42 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | .218 | — | — | — | — | -266 | ||
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 Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 40 |
| Center Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 14 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
James Burke (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
James Burke: the record in brief
June 10, 1882 and September 15, 1884 bracket James Burke's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Buffalo Bisons (1882 through 1883) and the Boston Reds (1884). Burke is listed as a pitcher.
Across 40 games (38 starts), Burke recorded 19 wins against 16 losses with a 3.02 ERA. Also on Burke's record: 256 strikeouts and 34 complete games. Burke's 3.02 ERA was close to the 3.08 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 19 wins of 1884. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 2.85 in 1884, when the league's was 3.11. Pitcher PIV, the site's era-adjusted run-prevention measure, totals 6,290.5 for Burke's career.
Most of Burke's defensive work, 40 games, came at pitcher; the rest of the position table shows right field (14) and center field (1). On the mound, Burke's fielding totals are 14 putouts, 50 assists and 11 errors.
Frequently Asked Questions about James Burke
- What years did James Burke play?
- James Burke played in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1884.
- Was James Burke a pitcher?
- Yes. James Burke pitched in the major leagues, recording 19 wins and 256 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did James Burke hit?
- James Burke hit 0 career home runs with 42 hits.
- What teams did James Burke play for?
- James Burke played for 2 teams: the Buffalo Bisons (1882–1883) and the Boston Reds (1884).
- What were James Burke's career stats?
- In 40 games, James Burke went 19-16 with a 3.02 ERA, 256 strikeouts, and 334.0 innings pitched.
- What position did James Burke play?
- James Burke played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- What was James Burke's career ERA?
- James Burke finished with a 3.02 career ERA, going 19-16 with 256 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did James Burke have?
- James Burke recorded 256 career strikeouts.
- Is James Burke in the Hall of Fame?
- No. James Burke has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.