| Dick Burns | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher/Outfielder | |
| Born: December 26, 1863 Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| Died: November 16, 1937 (aged 73) Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 3, 1883, for the Detroit Wolverines | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 23, 1885, for the St. Louis Maroons | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 25–27 |
| Earned run average | 3.07 |
| Strikeouts | 199 |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Richard Simon Burns (December 26, 1863 – November 16, 1937) was an American professional baseball player from 1883 to 1890. He played three seasons in Major League Baseball, principally as a pitcher and outfielder, for the Detroit Wolverines (37 games, 1883), Cincinnati Outlaw Reds (79 games, 1884) and St. Louis Maroons (14 games, 1885).
During his major league career, Burns appeared in 82 games as an outfielder, 58 as a pitcher and two as a shortstop. He compiled a .267 batting average and scored 97 runs in 544 at bats. As a pitcher, he compiled a 25–27 (.481) win–loss record with a 3.07 earned run average (ERA).
During the 1884 season, he led the Union Association (UA) with 12 triples, ranked third in the league with a .457 slugging percentage, and compiled a 23–15 record and 2.46 ERA as pitcher, and threw a no-hitter. Baseball historian Bill James in The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract has cited Burns's dramatically improved performance in 1884 in support of his view that the UA was not a true major league. Although his major league career ended in July 1885, Burns continued to play minor league baseball through the 1890 season and later became a cigar and tobacco seller in his hometown of Holyoke, Massachusetts.