Jesse Burkett
Encyclopedia
Jesse Cail Burkett nicknamed "The Crab", was a Major League Baseball
player at the turn of the 20th century. He also was a coach in the Major Leagues under John McGraw
for the New York Giants
, owned and managed the minor league Worcester club, and coached at Holy Cross College
.
Burkett began his pro career as a pitcher, won 27 games at the age of 19 in 1888 in Scranton, Pa., and also compiled a 39-6 record for the Worcester Club of the New England League
. He played in the Major Leagues from 1890 to 1905, primarily as an outfielder
, and had an accomplished hitting career, smacking 200 hits in a season six times and batting over .400 twice (1895 and 1896), only the second hitter in Major League history to do so, the first being Ed Delahanty
. On his Hall of Fame plaque, Burkett is credited for hitting over .400 three times; subsequent research and updated records have lowered his 1899 batting average to .396. In 1895 and 1896, Burkett's two best seasons, the Cleveland Spiders
finished second twice and faced off against the Baltimore Orioles both seasons in the Temple Cup
series, beating the Orioles in the 1895 series with Cy Young
pitching three victories. Also, in game one of the series, Burkett scored the game winning run in the bottom of the ninth to set the tone for the series.
Burkett was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946
. The Wheeling
native became the first West Virginia
n elected to the Hall of Fame.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player at the turn of the 20th century. He also was a coach in the Major Leagues under John McGraw
John McGraw
John McGraw may refer to:* John McGraw , , New York lumber tycoon, and one of the founding trustees of Cornell University* John McGraw , , Governor of Washington state from 1893–1897...
for the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, owned and managed the minor league Worcester club, and coached at Holy Cross College
Holy Cross College
Holy Cross College may refer to:*Holy Cross College , Bangladesh*Holy Cross College , in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States*Holy Cross College , Western Province, Sri Lanka*Holy Cross College...
.
Burkett began his pro career as a pitcher, won 27 games at the age of 19 in 1888 in Scranton, Pa., and also compiled a 39-6 record for the Worcester Club of the New England League
New England League
The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played sporadically in five of the six New England states between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League Baseball clubs in Boston and alongside stronger, higher-classification...
. He played in the Major Leagues from 1890 to 1905, primarily as an outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
, and had an accomplished hitting career, smacking 200 hits in a season six times and batting over .400 twice (1895 and 1896), only the second hitter in Major League history to do so, the first being Ed Delahanty
Ed Delahanty
Edward James Delahanty , nicknamed "Big Ed", was a Major League Baseball player from 1888 to 1903 for the Philadelphia Quakers, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Infants and Washington Senators, and was known as one of the early great power hitters in the game.He was elected to the Baseball Hall of...
. On his Hall of Fame plaque, Burkett is credited for hitting over .400 three times; subsequent research and updated records have lowered his 1899 batting average to .396. In 1895 and 1896, Burkett's two best seasons, the Cleveland Spiders
Cleveland Spiders
The Cleveland Spiders were a Major League Baseball team which played between 1887 and 1899 in Cleveland, Ohio. The team played at National League Park from 1889 to 1890 and at League Park from 1891 to 1899.- 1887-1891 :...
finished second twice and faced off against the Baltimore Orioles both seasons in the Temple Cup
Temple Cup
The Temple Cup was a trophy awarded to the winner of a best-of-seven, post-season championship series in the National League, from 1894–1897. The 30-inch-high silver cup was donated by coal, citrus, and lumber baron William Chase Temple, the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the time...
series, beating the Orioles in the 1895 series with Cy Young
Cy Young
Denton True "Cy" Young was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 22-year baseball career , he pitched for five different teams. Young was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937...
pitching three victories. Also, in game one of the series, Burkett scored the game winning run in the bottom of the ninth to set the tone for the series.
Burkett was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1946
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1946 were conducted by methods refashioned and then fashioned again during the year. As in 1945 the Baseball Writers Association of America voted by mail to select from recent players and elected no one...
. The Wheeling
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
native became the first West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
n elected to the Hall of Fame.
Career statistics
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players with 2,000 hits
- List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1,000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions
- List of Major League Baseball hit records