Al Burris

Alva Burton Burris

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• School Washington College
• Debut June 22, 1894
• Final Game June 22, 1894
• Born January 28, 1874 in Warwick, MD USA
• Died March 25, 1938 in Salisbury, MD USA

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Biographical Information

Al Burris was a college baseball star, major league player, a college coach (Washington College 1892-1900) and athletic director by the age of twenty. He was a college professor, baseball manager and an influence on many young men aspiring to the major leagues at the lowest professional level. Burris was a dedicated and unselfish doctor, a businessman, administrator, and league organizer. But what he was remembered for at the time of his death was as a mentor and inspiration to the youth of his community.

He got a one-game shot at the majors when he pitched for the Philadelphia Nationals against the World Champion Baltimore Orioles, soon after the college season ended on June 22, 1894. Of the game, the wire services reported, "For several innings professional ball was played, but after that it was a regular lot game." (Chicago Daily Tribune, June 23, 1894, p. 6) Burris came on in relief of Kid Carsey in the fifth inning of an 18-14 slugfest loss to Baltimore. He managed to shut down the feared Oriole lineup in three of his five innings, but surrendered six runs in the sixth inning and four more in the eighth. Giving up ten runs on fourteen hits and two walks (the box score counted one), Burris was not credited with the loss. He did show well at the plate, however, going two-for-four. One of the opposing pitchers for the Orioles that day was Stub Brown. Ten years later, they would be teammates on the Cambridge Club.

Burris managed the 1924 Salisbury Indians. He was an inductee of the Eastern Shore Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs
1924	Salisbury Indians	Eastern Shore League	44-36	3rd	none	none

Related Sites

• Al Burris at the SABR Bio Project