Jim Scott Burton is a former middle relief pitcher

Middle relief pitcher

In baseball, middle relief pitchers are relief pitchers who commonly pitch in the 6th or 7th innings or in situations where several innings worth of work is required . In the National League, a middle reliever often comes in after the starting pitcher has been pulled for a pinch hitter...

 who played for the Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

 (1975, 1977). He batted right-handed and threw left-handed, standing 6 in 3 in (1.91 m) tall and weighing 175 pounds (79.4 kg).

The Red Sox drafted Burton out of the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 in the first round (5th pick) of the 1971 draft. Burton was 25 years old when he made his debut in the big leagues on June 10, 1975. His uniform number was 43. Burton is best known as the losing pitcher of Game 7 of the 1975 World Series

1975 World Series

The 1975 World Series was played between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds . It has been ranked by ESPN as the second-greatest World Series ever played...

. After Red Sox manager

Manager (baseball)

In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...

 Darrell Johnson

Darrell Johnson

Darrell Dean Johnson was an American Major League Baseball catcher, coach, manager and scout.-Playing career:...

 pinch hit

Pinch hitter

In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...

 for closer

Closer (baseball)

In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...

 Jim Willoughby

Jim Willoughby

James Arthur Willoughby is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the San Francisco Giants , Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox...

 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Burton was sent to the mound for the top of the ninth inning to face the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

 in a 3–3 tie game. Burton was selected because the Reds were expected to send up left-handed

Left-handed

Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...

 batters in the inning. But in his two-thirds of an inning, Burton walked

Base on balls

A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...

 two batters and surrendered the game-winning hit to the Reds' Joe Morgan

Joe Morgan

Joe Leonard Morgan is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the...

.

His last game played was on September 17, 1977. On March 29, 1978 Burton was traded by the Red Sox to the New York Mets

New York Mets

The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

 for Leo Foster

Leo Foster

Leonard Norris Foster is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He played all or part of five major league seasons between and , playing mostly at shortstop, second base, and third base, for the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.-Sources:...

.

In a two-season career, Burton posted a 1-2 record with a 2.75 ERA

Earned run average

In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...

 and one save

Save (sport)

In baseball, a save is credited to a pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain prescribed circumstances. The number of saves, or percentage of save opportunities successfully converted, is an oft-cited statistic of relief pitchers...

 in 30 games pitched

Games pitched

In baseball statistics, games pitched is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher; a player who is announced as the pitcher must face at least one batter, although exceptions are made if the pitcher announced in the starting lineup is injured before facing a batter, perhaps while...

. He played 29 games in the 1975 season, with 53 innings pitched and a 2.89 ERA. Burton only played one game in the 1977 season, with 2.2 innings pitched.

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