Willie Burns

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Willie Burns was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for 7 teams, including the Newark Dodgers. Across 35 career appearances, he went 4-10 with a 7.91 ERA and 47 strikeouts. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.

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

W–L 4–10
ERA 7.91
WHIP 1.90
SO 47
Pitcher PIV -3357.6
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'0" / 175 lb
Born
1/12/1916 in West Palm Beach, FL, USA
Died
2/10/1966 in West Palm Beach, FL, USA

Full name: William Tatum Burns

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Willie Burns — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
46.0 43.0 4.0 17.0 3.0 0 0 5.0 1.0 0 0 .395 .435 .465 .900

Pitching

Willie Burns — Pitching
W L GS CG GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA WHIP
5 14 21 11 13 0 166.0 175 129 32 3 63 30 1.74 1.43

Career Pitching Statistics

Willie Burns — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
4 10 35 15 4 0 0 137.2 192 121 12 70 47 7.91 -3357.6

Career ERA 7.91 vs. league average 3.73 across their career seasons — 112.3% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Willie Burns — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1935 ND NN2 2 4 12 6 2 0 0 62.0 83 54 26 28 7.84 4.35 (-80%) -1106.9
1942 NE NN2 1 1 3 3 1 0 0 13.2 14 10 8 4 6.59 3.57 (-85%) -1436.2
1942 CAG NAL 0 1 5 1 0 0 0 15.1 23 13 11 2 7.63 3.57 (-114%) -344.9
1943 BEG NN2 1 3 12 3 1 0 0 36.2 60 34 16 10 8.35 3.50 (-138%) -469.5
1944 CIC NAL 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 7.0 8 4 3 1 5.14 — 0.0
1945 NBY NN2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 2 4 1 18.00 — 0.0
1945 NYC NN2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 2.0 3 4 2 1 18.00 — 0.0
Career · 7 seasons 4 10 35 15 4 0 0 137.2 192 121 70 47 7.91 — -3,358

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

Willie Burns — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
44 61 4 13 4 0 0 3 0 1 0 .213 .250 .279 .529 0

Career AVG .213 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 18.7% below league average.

Career OBP .250 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 24.0% below league average.

Career SLG .279 vs. league average .362 across their career seasons — 22.9% below league average.

Career OPS .529 vs. league average .691 across their career seasons — 23.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Willie Burns — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1935 ND NN2 12 23 1 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 .130 — — — — 0.0
1942 NBY NN2 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1942 NE NN2 4 6 1 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 .333 — — — — 0.0
1942 CAG NAL 5 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1943 BEG NN2 19 19 2 8 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 .421 — — — — 0.0
1944 CIC NAL 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1945 NBY NN2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1945 NYC NN2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 8 seasons 44 61 4 13 4 0 0 3 0 1 0 .213 — — — — 0

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 (88 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Willie Burns — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home303841413.368
Away18233600.261

Pitching — Home / Away

Willie Burns — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home22109.01433040272.48
Away1866.21084623156.21

Last 10 Games — Batting

Willie Burns — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1945-09-08 NY6BLGL 100000000
1945-05-24 NY5PH5L 000000000
1944-08-01 CIACVBW 301000000
1944-07-31 CIACVBL 000000000
1944-07-25 CIABIRL 000000000
1944-06-16 CIAKCMW 000000000
1944-06-05 CIABIRW 200000000
1944-05-18 CIABIRL 000000000
1943-08-22 BLGHOML 313100000
1943-07-10 BLGPH5L 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Willie Burns — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1945-09-08 NY6BLG L 2.0340210
1945-05-24 NY5PH5 — 1.0130400
1944-08-01 CIACVB W 9.0722410
1944-07-31 CIACVB L 0.0000000
1944-07-25 CIABIR L 0.1000000
1944-06-16 CIAKCM W 9.0410000
1944-06-05 CIABIR — 7.0854310
1944-05-18 CIABIR L 9.0980000
1943-08-22 BLGHOM — 3.21188210
1943-07-10 BLGPH5 L 1.2220310

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Willie Burns — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 2 1 2 0 0 0
P 35 15 1 32 4 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Willie Burns — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1935 ND P 12 6 1 11 0 0
1942 NBY OF 1 1 2 0 0 0
1942 NE P 3 3 0 2 0 0
1942 CAG P 5 1 0 4 1 0
1943 BEG OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1943 BEG P 12 3 0 10 2 0
1944 CIC P 1 1 0 5 1 0
1945 NBY P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1945 NYC P 1 1 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Willie Burns — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 35
Left Field 1
Right Field 1

Willie Burns: the record in brief

The season rows for Willie Burns begin in 1935. The team column moves through the Newark Dodgers (1935), the New York Black Yankees (1942 through 1945), the Newark Eagles (1942), the Chicago American Giants (1942), the Baltimore Elite Giants (1943), the Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns (1944), and the New York Cubans (1945). The bio lists Burns as a pitcher who both batted and threw left-handed. The recorded size is 6 feet, 0 inches and 175 pounds. Burns was born on January 12, 1916, in West Palm Beach, FL, USA. Burns died on February 10, 1966, in West Palm Beach, FL, USA. Willie Burns was the playing name; the full given name is William Tatum.

Burns pitched in 35 games, starting 15, and finished with a 4-10 record and 7.91 ERA. Burns had 47 strikeouts. Against a 3.73 league ERA for the same seasons, the 7.91 mark was 112.3% worse. In 1935, one of the busiest seasons, Burns posted a 7.84 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.35.

Frequently Asked Questions about Willie Burns

Was Willie Burns a pitcher?
Yes. Willie Burns pitched in the major leagues, recording 4 wins and 47 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Willie Burns hit?
Willie Burns hit 0 career home runs with 13 hits.
What teams did Willie Burns play for?
Willie Burns played for 7 teams: the Newark Dodgers (1935), the New York Black Yankees (1942, 1945), the Newark Eagles (1942), the Chicago American Giants (1942), the Baltimore Elite Giants (1943), the Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns (1944), and the New York Cubans (1945).
What were Willie Burns's career stats?
In 35 games, Willie Burns went 4-10 with a 7.91 ERA, 47 strikeouts, and 137.2 innings pitched.
What position did Willie Burns play?
Willie Burns played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Willie Burns and how much did he weigh?
Willie Burns was listed at 6 feet and 175 pounds.
What was Willie Burns's career ERA?
Willie Burns finished with a 7.91 career ERA, going 4-10 with 47 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Willie Burns have?
Willie Burns recorded 47 career strikeouts.
Is Willie Burns in the Hall of Fame?
No. Willie Burns has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.