Pete Burnside, baseball player, 1955-1963

Pete Burnside

Born: 7/2/1930 in Evanston, IL, USA

Died: 8/26/2022 in Wilmette, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1955-09-20 | Final Game: 1963-09-27

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Peter Willits Burnside

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Biography

Pete Burnside was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1955 to 1963. Born in 1930, he made his Major League debut with the Washington Senators before later playing for the New York Mets, where he became a part of the team's early history during their formative years. Burnside was known for his competitive spirit on the mound, contributing to his teams with a total record of 19 wins and 36 losses over his career. His earned run average (ERA) stood at 4.81, while he recorded 303 strikeouts and secured 7 saves, showcasing his ability to both start games and come in for relief. Burnside played during a transitional period in baseball, marked by the evolution of pitching strategies and the emergence of more specialized bullpen roles. While he may not have been a household name, his contributions were significant in the context of the teams he played for, particularly in helping to lay the groundwork for the Mets' future successes. His career reflects the challenges and dynamics of the game in the late 1950s and early 1960s, an era that saw the rise of expansion teams and the changing landscape of Major League Baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
19 36 196 64 14 3 7 567.3 607 303 73 230 303 4.81 0

Career ERA 4.81 vs. league average 3.85 across their career seasons — 24.9% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1955 NY1 NL 1 0 2 2 1 0 0 12.7 10 4 9 2 2.84 4.00 (+29%) -384.8
1957 NY1 NL 1 4 10 9 1 1 0 30.7 47 30 13 18 8.80 3.83 (-130%) -724.5
1958 SFG NL 0 0 6 1 0 0 0 10.7 20 8 5 4 6.75 3.86 (-75%) -
1959 DET AL 1 3 30 0 0 0 1 62.0 55 26 25 49 3.77 3.90 (+3%) 263.0
1960 DET AL 7 7 31 15 2 0 2 113.7 122 54 50 71 4.28 3.82 (-12%) -1417.8
1961 WS2 AL 4 9 33 16 4 2 2 113.3 106 57 51 56 4.53 4.03 (-12%) -726.5
1962 WS2 AL 5 11 40 20 6 0 2 149.7 152 74 51 74 4.45 3.96 (-13%) -1822.8
1963 BAL AL 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 7.3 11 4 2 6 4.91 — 0.0
1963 WS2 AL 0 1 38 1 0 0 0 67.3 84 46 24 23 6.15 3.46 (-78%) -2940.7

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
196 132 6 10 0 0 0 4 0 8 54 0.076 0.129 0.076 0.204 0.0

Career AVG .076 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 70.4% below league average.

Career OBP .129 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 60.3% below league average.

Career SLG .076 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 80.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.204 vs. league average 0.714 across their career seasons — 71.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1955 NY1 NL 2 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1957 NY1 NL 10 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1958 SFG NL 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1959 DET AL 30 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1960 DET AL 31 27 2 4 0 0 0 1 0 2 6 0.148 — — — — 0.0
1961 WS2 AL 33 34 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 15 0.059 — — — — 0.0
1962 WS2 AL 40 35 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 19 0.057 — — — — 0.0
1963 BAL AL 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1963 WS2 AL 38 11 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 5 0.091 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 196 64 21 74 7 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1955 NY1 P 2 2 0 2 0 1
1957 NY1 P 10 9 1 5 1 0
1958 SFN P 6 1 0 2 0 0
1959 DET P 30 0 3 11 0 1
1960 DET P 31 15 3 14 1 1
1961 WS2 P 33 16 2 17 2 1
1962 WS2 P 40 20 11 16 2 0
1963 BAL P 6 0 0 0 0 0
1963 WS2 P 38 1 1 7 1 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 196