Todd Burns
Encyclopedia
Todd Edward Burns in Maywood, California
, is a retired Major League Baseball
pitcher
.
Burns attended Oral Roberts University
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
, earning first-team All-America
honors before being drafted by the Oakland Athletics
in the 7th round of the 1984 MLB amateur draft. He played for the A's from 1988 to 1991, and would also play for the Texas Rangers
(1992–1993), and St. Louis Cardinals
(1993). He was nicknamed "The Mad Hatter" because of his habit of frantically tugging at the bill of his cap and re-adjusting it prior to every pitch.
Burns made his Major League Baseball
debut on May 31, 1988, and during that season was a reliably effective starter at the back end of the A's rotation. He compiled an 8-2 record over 14 starts and three relief appearances as the A's won the AL pennant but then lost the World Series
to the Los Angeles Dodgers
. Burns switched to an almost exclusively relief role in following seasons. He helped the A's win two more pennants in 1989 and 1990, and a World Series in 1989, when the A's swept their cross-bay rivals, the San Francisco Giants
. He left the A's following the 1991 season to sign with the Texas Rangers, then finished his career on September 17, 1993, with the St. Louis Cardinals. Burns posted a regular season won-loss record of 21-23 with a 3.47 earned run average
and 13 saves in 203 games pitched. In 3 postseason series, Burns compiled a 0-0 won-loss record with a 7.36 earned run average
.
Burns now runs the Todd Burns School of Baseball in Huntsville
, Alabama.
Maywood, California
Maywood is a small city in southeast Los Angeles County, California. At , Maywood is the third-smallest incorporated city in Los Angeles County....
, is a retired Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
.
Burns attended Oral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University , based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the United States, is an interdenominational, Charismatic Christian, comprehensive university with an enrollment of about 3,790 students from 49 U.S. states along with a significant number of international students from 70 countries...
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, earning first-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors before being drafted by the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
in the 7th round of the 1984 MLB amateur draft. He played for the A's from 1988 to 1991, and would also play for the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
(1992–1993), and St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
(1993). He was nicknamed "The Mad Hatter" because of his habit of frantically tugging at the bill of his cap and re-adjusting it prior to every pitch.
Burns made his Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
debut on May 31, 1988, and during that season was a reliably effective starter at the back end of the A's rotation. He compiled an 8-2 record over 14 starts and three relief appearances as the A's won the AL pennant but then lost the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
to the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. Burns switched to an almost exclusively relief role in following seasons. He helped the A's win two more pennants in 1989 and 1990, and a World Series in 1989, when the A's swept their cross-bay rivals, the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
. He left the A's following the 1991 season to sign with the Texas Rangers, then finished his career on September 17, 1993, with the St. Louis Cardinals. Burns posted a regular season won-loss record of 21-23 with a 3.47 earned run average
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 13 saves in 203 games pitched. In 3 postseason series, Burns compiled a 0-0 won-loss record with a 7.36 earned run average
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...
.
Burns now runs the Todd Burns School of Baseball in Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
, Alabama.