Ray Burris facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ray Burris
Burris coaching the West Michigan Whitecaps in 2007
Pitcher
Born: (1950-08-22) August 22, 1950 (age 74) Idabel, Oklahoma, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
debut
April 8, 1973, for the Chicago Cubs
Last appearance
September 27, 1987, for the Milwaukee Brewers
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	108–134
Earned run average	4.17
Strikeouts	1,065
Teams
Chicago Cubs (1973–1979) New York Yankees (1979) New York Mets (1979–1980) Montreal Expos (1981–1983) Oakland Athletics (1984) Milwaukee Brewers (1985) St. Louis Cardinals (1986) Milwaukee Brewers (1987)

Bertram Ray Burris (born August 22, 1950) is a former professional baseball pitcher from the United States. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seven different teams from 1973 to 1987. Standing 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 200 pounds, he threw and batted right-handed. After his playing days, he became a coach. He is currently a pitching coordinator for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Ray Burris's Early Life

Ray Burris was born in Idabel, Oklahoma. His parents were sharecroppers, meaning they farmed land owned by someone else and shared the crops. Ray spent many hours each day working in the fields with his family, even through high school. He went to Southwestern Oklahoma State University. There, he earned a degree in Recreational Leadership. He also played both basketball and baseball for the university. In 1972, he was recognized as an All-America player. He set a record for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics with 150 strikeouts. He helped his team, the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs, finish fifth in the national tournament.

Ray Burris's Baseball Career

Playing for the Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs picked Ray Burris in the 17th round of the 1972 baseball draft. After playing just one season in the Cubs' minor league system, he joined the major league team in 1973. He made his first MLB appearance on April 8, 1973. In his second game, he started and pitched five innings without allowing any runs. He earned his first major league win against the New York Mets.

In 1974, Burris mostly pitched as a relief pitcher. He earned his first save by getting six outs against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Two days later, he helped his team win a close game against the Philadelphia Phillies. However, his season took a difficult turn when he gave up a grand slam to baseball legend Hank Aaron.

The Cubs moved Burris to the starting rotation in 1975. He pitched his first complete game and his first shutout that year. He led the Cubs with fifteen wins and pitched 238.1 innings.

In 1976, Burris had a tough start, winning only one of his first eight games. However, he turned his season around in July. He pitched a three-hit shutout against the Montreal Expos. He also had back-to-back shutouts later in the season. He finished the year with a strong record of 15 wins and 13 losses. He led the Cubs in wins, ERA (3.11), shutouts, and complete games.

Burris started the 1977 season as the opening day pitcher again. He pitched well but lost a close game. He allowed more home runs than any other pitcher in the National League that year. Interestingly, he also hit his only career home run in 1977.

In 1978, his record dropped to 7 wins and 13 losses. He started the 1979 season in the bullpen, which he did not like. On May 23, the Cubs traded Burris to the New York Yankees.

Time with the New York Yankees and New York Mets

Ray Burris did not have a good time with the New York Yankees. He pitched in fifteen games as a reliever and had a 1-3 record with a high ERA. On August 20, 1979, the New York Mets picked him up. This gave him a chance to be a starting pitcher again, even though the Mets were not a strong team.

In his first game for the Mets, Burris pitched seven strong innings against the Cincinnati Reds. He allowed only two hits, but the Mets lost 1-0. He continued to pitch well in 1980, with a low ERA through May. However, the Mets' offense struggled to score runs for him. He missed July due to a broken thumb. When he returned, he pitched a complete game win against the first-place Expos. He finished the season with a 7-7 record for the Mets.

Playing for the Montreal Expos

Burris signed with the Montreal Expos as a free agent before the 1981 season. He continued to have some bad luck with close games. In the strike-shortened 1981 season, he had a 3-5 record despite a good ERA in the first half. In the second half, he improved to 6-2. The Expos won their division, and Burris made his only career trip to the postseason.

He started Game 3 of the 1981 playoffs against the Phillies, but the Expos lost. Then, in the 1981 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Burris pitched a complete game shutout in Game 2. This tied the series at one game each. He faced rookie star Fernando Valenzuela again in the deciding Game 5. The game was tied 1-1 in the ninth inning when Burris left the game. The Dodgers then hit a home run and won the series.

The 1982 season was very tough for Burris. He started 0-7, and his team often scored very few runs when he pitched. His ERA went up, and he was moved back to the bullpen. He finished the season with 0 wins and 11 losses as a starter, but 4 wins and 3 losses as a reliever.

In 1983, Burris started the season in the bullpen but pitched well enough to become a starter again. He had some good starts, including a three-hit game against the Phillies.

Time with the Oakland A's

Before the 1984 season, Burris was traded to the Oakland Athletics. He started in the bullpen but quickly became a key pitcher for the A's. In his first start on April 28, he pitched a four-hit shutout against the Minnesota Twins. By the end of May, he had a 7-3 record with a very low ERA. For the season, he led the A's with thirteen wins and 211.2 innings pitched. His ERA was also the best among the A's starting pitchers.

After the 1984 season, the A's traded Burris to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Playing for the Milwaukee Brewers

Burris won his first game as a Brewer but then lost his next four. He eventually evened his record to 9-9 before losing his last four games of the 1985 season. His nine wins were the second-highest on the team. On August 11, he recorded his 1,000th career strikeout. The Brewers released him in 1986.

Time with the St. Louis Cardinals

Ray Burris signed a minor league deal with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1986. After a few good starts in the minors, he was called up to the major leagues. He won his first start as a Cardinal, pitching seven innings. In that game, he also hit a double with the bases loaded, giving the Cardinals a 3-0 lead. He became the first Cardinals pitcher since 1936 to have two games in a row with three runs batted in. He finished his time with the Cardinals with 4 wins and 5 losses before being released in August.

Career Statistics Overview

Here's a summary of Ray Burris's career statistics in Major League Baseball:

Ray Burris's Coaching Career

In 1987, Ray Burris was hired by the Milwaukee Brewers as an assistant to the general manager and a minor league instructor. While coaching for the Stockton Ports, he actually pitched in two games himself. He pitched so well that he ended up playing for the Milwaukee Brewers again in the major leagues. He appeared in ten games, winning two and losing two, before retiring as a player for good.

From 1990 to 1991, Burris was the pitching coach for the Milwaukee Brewers' major league team. In 1992, he became the bullpen coach for the Texas Rangers. He also worked in their main office and with their minor league teams.

In 2001 and 2002, he was a traveling pitching instructor for the Cardinals' minor league system. After that, he joined the Detroit Tigers organization. He coached pitchers for various Tigers minor league teams, including the Oneonta Tigers (2006), West Michigan Whitecaps (2007), and Erie SeaWolves (2008). In 2013, he joined the Philadelphia Phillies organization as a pitching coach for their Triple-A team, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Since 2016, he has been the Phillies' rehabilitation pitching coach, helping injured pitchers recover.

Images for kids

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  Burris with the Chicago Cubs

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  New York Mets 1980 #26 Ray Burris road jersey