What years did John Burkett play?

John Burkett played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 2003.

Was John Burkett a pitcher?

Yes. John Burkett pitched in the major leagues, recording 166 wins and 1766 strikeouts.

How many home runs did John Burkett hit?

John Burkett hit 0 career home runs with 50 hits.

What teams did John Burkett play for?

John Burkett played for 5 teams: the San Francisco Giants (1987, 1990–1994), the Florida Marlins (1995–1996), the Texas Rangers (1996–1999), the Atlanta Braves (2000–2001), and the Boston Red Sox (2002–2003).

Did John Burkett win a Cy Young Award?

No. John Burkett did not win the Cy Young Award.

What awards did John Burkett win?

John Burkett was selected to 2 All-Star Games.

What were John Burkett's career stats?

In 445 games, John Burkett went 166-136 with a 4.31 ERA, 1,766 strikeouts, 2,648.1 innings pitched, and 1 saves. At the plate he had 50 hits and 0 home runs.

What was John Burkett's salary?

John Burkett's last recorded salary was $5,500,000, in 2003. His highest recorded salary was $5,500,000, in 2002, and his lowest was $100,000, in 1990. The Salary History table lists each season from 1990 to 2003.

What position did John Burkett play?

John Burkett played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was John Burkett and how much did he weigh?

John Burkett was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 175 pounds.

What was John Burkett's career ERA?

John Burkett finished with a 4.31 career ERA, going 166-136 with 1,766 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did John Burkett have?

John Burkett recorded 1,766 career strikeouts.

Is John Burkett in the Hall of Fame?

No. John Burkett has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

John Burkett

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1987-2003)

John Burkett was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 2003 for 5 teams, including the San Francisco Giants, a span of 17 seasons. Across 445 career appearances, he went 166-136 with a 4.31 ERA and 1,766 strikeouts. He also batted .093 with 0 home runs. John Burkett was a 2-time All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 32698.1.

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 October 15, 2026

W–L 166–136

ERA 4.31

WHIP 1.35

SO 1,766

Pitcher PIV 32698.1

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'2" / 175 lb
Born: 11/28/1964 in New Brighton, PA, USA
MLB Debut: 1987-09-15
Last Game: 2003-09-26
Awards: 2× All-Star

Full name: John David Burkett

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

John Burkett — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
166	136	445	423	21	6	1	2648.1	2,866	1,268	257	700	1,766	4.31	32698.1

Career ERA 4.31 vs. league average 4.34 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

John Burkett Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1987	SFN	NL	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	6.0	7	3	3	5	4.50	—	0.0
1990	SFN	NL	14	7	33	32	2	0	1	204.0	201	86	61	118	3.79	3.86 (+2%)	568.1
1991	SFN	NL	12	11	36	34	3	1	0	206.2	223	96	60	131	4.18	3.91 (-7%)	603.0
1992	SFN	NL	13	9	32	32	3	1	0	189.2	194	81	45	107	3.84	3.75 (-3%)	2091.5
1993	SFN	NL	22	7	34	34	2	1	0	231.2	224	94	40	145	3.65	4.19 (+13%)	4754.4
1994	SFN	NL	6	8	25	25	0	0	0	159.1	176	64	36	85	3.62	4.51 (+20%)	2039.2
1995	FLO	NL	14	14	30	30	4	0	0	188.1	208	90	57	126	4.30	4.45 (+3%)	800.8
1996	FLO	NL	6	10	24	24	1	0	0	154.0	154	74	42	108	4.32	4.61 (+6%)	2776.8
1996	TEX	AL	5	2	10	10	1	1	0	68.2	75	31	16	47	4.06	4.61 (+12%)	2201.6
1997	TEX	AL	9	12	30	30	2	0	0	189.1	240	96	30	139	4.56	4.39 (-4%)	4114.1
1998	TEX	AL	9	13	32	32	0	0	0	195.0	230	123	46	131	5.68	4.43 (-28%)	2731.3
1999	TEX	AL	9	8	30	25	0	0	0	147.1	184	92	46	96	5.62	4.71 (-19%)	1107.0
2000	ATL	NL	10	6	31	22	0	0	0	134.1	162	73	51	110	4.89	4.77 (-3%)	2715.2
2001	ATL	NL	12	12	34	34	1	1	0	219.1	187	74	70	187	3.04	4.42 (+31%)	5882.4
2002	BOS	AL	13	8	29	29	1	1	0	173.0	199	87	50	124	4.53	4.28 (-6%)	-583.3
2003	BOS	AL	12	9	32	30	1	0	0	181.2	202	104	47	107	5.15	4.40 (-17%)	896.2
Career · 16 seasons			166	136	445	423	21	6	1	2,648.1	2,866	1,268	700	1,766	4.31	—	32,698

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

John Burkett — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
446	540	22	50	6	0	0	18	0	26	226	.093	.136	.104	.240	-5,358

Career AVG .093 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — 65.0% below league average.

Career OBP .136 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 59.3% below league average.

Career SLG .104 vs. league average .415 across their career seasons — 75.0% below league average.

Career OPS .240 vs. league average .749 across their career seasons — 68.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

John Burkett Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1987	SFN	NL	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1990	SFN	NL	33	63	1	3	0	3	5	35	.048	.257 (-82%)	.324 (-64%)	.385 (-88%)	.710 (-77%)	-755.6
1991	SFN	NL	36	55	0	5	1	1	3	26	.091	.255 (-64%)	.323 (-57%)	.384 (-72%)	.708 (-65%)	-560.3
1992	SFN	NL	32	55	2	1	1	2	4	24	.018	.255 (-93%)	.322 (-74%)	.377 (-90%)	.699 (-83%)	-707.9
1993	SFN	NL	34	76	7	9	0	4	5	31	.118	.265 (-55%)	.332 (-48%)	.403 (-71%)	.735 (-60%)	-735.2
1994	SFN	NL	25	51	1	3	0	0	1	21	.059	.269 (-78%)	.338 (-77%)	.424 (-86%)	.763 (-82%)	-698.1
1995	FLO	NL	31	66	3	7	1	3	2	23	.106	.266 (-60%)	.337 (-57%)	.417 (-71%)	.755 (-65%)	-707.2
1996	FLO	NL	24	52	2	9	2	1	0	17	.173	.269 (-36%)	.340 (-49%)	.426 (-50%)	.767 (-50%)	-437.6
1996	TEX	AL	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	-437.6
1997	TEX	AL	30	5	1	1	0	0	0	1	.200	—	—	—	—	0.0
1998	TEX	AL	32	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1999	TEX	AL	30	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2000	ATL	NL	31	42	2	6	1	3	3	15	.143	—	—	—	—	0.0
2001	ATL	NL	34	65	2	6	0	1	3	29	.092	.263 (-65%)	.332 (-60%)	.426 (-78%)	.758 (-70%)	-755.7
2002	BOS	AL	29	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
2003	BOS	AL	32	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 16 seasons			446	540	22	50	6	18	26	226	.093	—	—	—	—	-5,795

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

John Burkett — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
6	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

John Burkett — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	SO	AVG
2003	ALCS	BOS	1	0	0	.000
2003	ALDS2	BOS	1	0	0	.000
2001	NLCS	ATL	1	1	1	.000
2001	NLDS1	ATL	1	2	1	.000
2000	NLDS1	ATL	1	0	0	.000
1996	ALDS2	TEX	1	0	0	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

John Burkett — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
2	1	6	5	0	30.0	40	16	7	15	4.80

Playoff Pitching by Year

John Burkett — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
2003	ALCS	BOS	0	0	1	1	3.2	7	3	0	1	7.36
2003	ALDS2	BOS	0	0	1	1	5.1	9	4	2	1	6.75
2001	NLCS	ATL	0	1	1	1	4.1	7	4	2	2	8.31
2001	NLDS1	ATL	1	0	1	1	6.1	6	2	2	4	2.84
2000	NLDS1	ATL	0	0	1	0	1.1	1	1	0	0	6.75
1996	ALDS2	TEX	1	0	1	1	9.0	10	2	1	7	2.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (891 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

John Burkett — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	216	241	10	18	0	7	.075
Away	230	299	12	32	0	11	.107

Pitching — Home / Away

John Burkett — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	216	1317.2	1435	646	337	898	4.41
Away	229	1330.2	1431	622	363	868	4.21

Last 10 Games — Pitching

John Burkett — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
2003-09-26	BOS	TBR	W	3.0	4	2	2	0	3	1
2003-09-24	BOS	BAL	L	0.1	7	7	6	0	1	1
2003-09-19	BOS	CLE	W	7.0	3	0	0	1	3	0
2003-09-14	BOS	CHW	L	6.0	6	5	5	2	4	2
2003-09-08	BOS	BAL	—	5.1	10	5	5	0	0	0
2003-09-02	BOS	CHW	W	6.0	3	1	1	1	4	0
2003-08-27	BOS	TOR	—	6.0	7	3	3	2	1	1
2003-08-23	BOS	SEA	—	6.0	8	5	5	1	5	0
2003-08-17	BOS	SEA	L	6.2	6	3	3	1	6	0
2003-08-12	BOS	OAK	L	6.0	7	5	5	0	3	2

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

John Burkett — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	445	423	177	314	9	20

Season-by-Season Fielding

John Burkett — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1987	SFN	P	3	0	0	1	0	1
1990	SFN	P	33	32	11	25	1	4
1991	SFN	P	36	34	13	25	1	2
1992	SFN	P	32	32	11	18	1	0
1993	SFN	P	34	34	21	36	0	2
1994	SFN	P	25	25	14	23	0	1
1995	FLO	P	30	30	18	26	0	0
1996	FLO	P	24	24	12	21	1	1
1996	TEX	P	10	10	7	4	0	0
1997	TEX	P	30	30	12	28	1	1
1998	TEX	P	32	32	11	18	1	0
1999	TEX	P	30	25	7	18	0	2
2000	ATL	P	31	22	10	15	1	1
2001	ATL	P	34	34	15	26	0	1
2002	BOS	P	29	29	8	11	1	0
2003	BOS	P	32	30	7	19	1	4

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

John Burkett Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	445

Salary History

John Burkett's recorded salaries total $37,905,000 over 14 seasons, 1990 to 2003. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Burkett's career ran from 1987 to 2003. No salary is recorded for 1987.

John Burkett — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
2003	BOS	AL	$5,500,000
2002	BOS	AL	$5,500,000
2001	ATL	NL	$1,750,000
2000	ATL	NL	$750,000
1999	TEX	AL	$4,000,000
1998	TEX	AL	$4,000,000
1997	TEX	AL	$3,550,000
1996	FLO	NL	$3,550,000
1995	FLO	NL	$3,350,000
1994	SFN	NL	$3,550,000
1993	SFN	NL	$1,700,000
1992	SFN	NL	$375,000
1991	SFN	NL	$230,000
1990	SFN	NL	$100,000
Total recorded salary (partial)			$37,905,000

Award Voting History

John Burkett — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max
1993	Cy Young Award	NL	4th	9.0	140
1993	Most Valuable Player	NL	24th	1.0	392
1990	Rookie of the Year	NL	4th	12.0	120

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

John Burkett (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Compare John Burkett

Browse all MLB player comparisons →

John Burkett: the record in brief

John Burkett's major league career runs from a debut on September 15, 1987 to a final game on September 26, 2003. The team column moves through the San Francisco Giants (1987 to 1994), the Florida Marlins (1995 through 1996), the Texas Rangers (1996 to 1999), the Atlanta Braves (2000 through 2001), and the Boston Red Sox (2002 through 2003). At 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, Burkett is listed as a pitcher. Burkett batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is November 28, 1964, in New Brighton, PA, USA. The given name on file is John David Burkett.

Burkett pitched in 445 games, starting 423, and finished with a 166-136 record and 4.31 ERA. Burkett had 1,766 strikeouts, 21 complete games, and 6 shutouts. Burkett's 4.31 ERA was close to the 4.34 league figure for those seasons. Burkett won 22 games in 1993, the most of any season listed. 2001 produced Burkett's most strikeouts, 187.

Frequently Asked Questions about John Burkett

What years did John Burkett play?: John Burkett played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 2003.
Was John Burkett a pitcher?: Yes. John Burkett pitched in the major leagues, recording 166 wins and 1766 strikeouts.
How many home runs did John Burkett hit?: John Burkett hit 0 career home runs with 50 hits.
What teams did John Burkett play for?: John Burkett played for 5 teams: the San Francisco Giants (1987, 1990–1994), the Florida Marlins (1995–1996), the Texas Rangers (1996–1999), the Atlanta Braves (2000–2001), and the Boston Red Sox (2002–2003).
Did John Burkett win a Cy Young Award?: No. John Burkett did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did John Burkett win?: John Burkett was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
What were John Burkett's career stats?: In 445 games, John Burkett went 166-136 with a 4.31 ERA, 1,766 strikeouts, 2,648.1 innings pitched, and 1 saves. At the plate he had 50 hits and 0 home runs.
How much did John Burkett earn in his career?: John Burkett's recorded salaries total $37,905,000 over 14 seasons, 1990 to 2003. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Burkett's career ran from 1987 to 2003. No salary is recorded for 1987.
What was John Burkett's salary?: John Burkett's last recorded salary was $5,500,000, in 2003. His highest recorded salary was $5,500,000, in 2002, and his lowest was $100,000, in 1990. The Salary History table lists each season from 1990 to 2003.
What position did John Burkett play?: John Burkett played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was John Burkett and how much did he weigh?: John Burkett was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 175 pounds.
What was John Burkett's career ERA?: John Burkett finished with a 4.31 career ERA, going 166-136 with 1,766 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did John Burkett have?: John Burkett recorded 1,766 career strikeouts.
Is John Burkett in the Hall of Fame?: No. John Burkett has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.