Charles Brittingham Burns appeared as a pinch hitter on August 19, 1902 for the Baltimore Orioles as they were winding down their life as an American League franchise in the wake of John McGraw’s treasonous exit earlier in the summer.

Having practiced with the team for a few days, Burns finally got his chance when he batted for pitcher Ike Butler in the ninth inning, lining the first pitch he ever saw past Dick Padden for a single. He was stranded there, however, as the game ended 11 – 4 in favor of the St. Louis Browns.

It was the only pitch that Burns would see as a major leaguer.

Burns was born May 15, 1879 to George Alexander and Anna Louisa (Priest) Burns in Bay View, Maryland, the tenth of thirteen children. A year later, the family moved to a farm in Cecil, Maryland. When not a student, he learned the game of baseball, playing on local amateur teams until his tryout with the Orioles – who only gave him a shot because half the team was stolen and added to the Giants or Reds rosters. He returned to the local sandlots soon after. Burns is listed as 6’0″ and 175 pounds, but unless he got really sick by the time he was 60, that’s probably overstating his size by a lot. When he registered for the draft in 1942, he was measured at 5’7″ and 130 pounds – he might have been 5’8″ and 145 as a strapping athlete in his youth.

Burns likely played on the local Havre De Grace team, which was pretty good. In fact, the team once went three years without losing a game on its home grounds.

Charles married Helen Jane Green in 1899, a partnership that lasted some sixty years and produced seven children of their own. Shortly after their marriage, the couple moved in with Helen’s parents. Eventually, as Burns took on different jobs (insurances salesman, carriage builder, painter at a US arsenal, hotel owner and operator), the family moved into their own home in Havre de Grace, MD, where they stayed for the rest of their lives.

Burns died at his home in Havre de Grace on June 6, 1968, having outlived his wife by eight years. He is buried in Angel Hill Cemetery in his hometown.

Notes:

1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 US Census
WWI and WWII Registration Cards
Ancestry Family Tree

www.baseball-reference.com
www.findagrave.com

“Walbrook A.C., 11; Havre De Grace, 7,” Baltimore Sun, August 10, 1902: 6.

“Catcher Sweeney Due Today,” Baltimore Sun, August 20, 1902: 6.