Otto Burns

Otto Abraham Burns

• Bats unknown, Throws Unknown

• Born April 3, 1886 in Darke County, OH USA
• Died November 8, 1978 in Greenville, OH USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Otto Burns played from 1909 to 1915, reaching the highest levels of the minors with four seasons for the Toledo Mud Hens and one with the Kansas City Blues of the American Association, and another one split between the Nashville Volunteers and New Orleans Pelicans of the Southern Association in 1914. He normally hit in the .250's, with limited power. He is best remembered, however, for one game as a pitcher in his first professional season, which came with the Decatur Commodores of the Three-I League.

On May 30, 1909, he was the starting pitcher for Decatur for the first game of a Memorial Day doubleheader against the Bloomington Bloomers. This was his first professional appearance as a pitcher (he would go 4-6, 3.21 in 15 games as a two-way player that year) and he was matched against Ed Clarke. The game turned out to be a 26-inning marathon, and both men went the distance as Decatur finally prevailed, 2-1. The second game scheduled for that day was not played due to darkness. the game was the longest ever in professional baseball history up to that point, and would not be topped until 1960.

Further Reading

• William Dowell: "The Marathon Game: Endless Baseball, its Prelude, and its Aftermath in the 1909 Three-I League", in The Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Volume 40, Number 1 (Spring 2011), pp. 94-102.