Jim Burns

Born:
Died:
BBRefID: burns-002---

On May 10 the local papers identified the stater for that day's game as Jim Burns, a local amateur. (With Nyce having pitched May 8 and Staley May 9, the starter should have been Ed Sproat, so this was the first indication that Sproat was not going to pitch again for the Whites.) That morning, however, Burns received a telegram offering him a contract with the club in Leavenworth of the Western League, so he skipped the opportunity to pitch. Nyce started the game instead. He was hit hard and the team surrendered a late lead to lose the game in the bottom of the ninth by a score of 9-8.

Burns didn't do that well in Leavenworth, from the reports in the local paper. His first start seems to have been May 16, a 7-6 loss to Denver, although the Leavenworth Standard said that "the feature [of the game] was the excellent pitching of [Denver pitcher] Avery and Burns". The Standard reported on May 23 that Burns was the pitcher in a 'pretty game' against Hutchinson won by a score of 1-0. That may have been his only win, as he lost 9-2 to Denver on May 27 and 15-5 to Lincoln on June 4. The Sporting News reported on June 16 that Burns obtained his release from Leavenworth 'last Saturday', which would have been around June 9. The Leavenworth club formally disbanded on June 23.

An article in the Standard on July 3 promotes a game the next day by the Leavenworth club against a star amateur club from Kansas City, with Burns listed as the Leavenworth pitcher. It is not clear if this refers to Jim Burns. There is no other indication he played professional baseball at any other time.