Mack Burk
From BR Bullpen
Mack Edwin Burk
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 4", Weight 180 lb.
- School University of Texas at Austin
- Debut May 25, 1956
- Final Game June 22, 1958
- Born April 21, 1935 in Nacogdoches, TX USA
[edit] Biographical Information
A 6' 4" catcher, Mack Burk was signed to a $45,000 bonus contact on September 29, 1955 by the Philadelphia Phillies. Mack was out of the University of Texas, where he had also played basketball. He suffered a broken collarbone playing basketball in college, which set back his baseball playing. To compensate, he played for The Mechanics' Uniform Supply team which won the American Baseball Congress national championship in 1955. He hit over .400 for that team, prompting heavy recruiting by several major league teams, and an estimated $ 40,000 bonus from the Phillies. He was slated to remain on the Philadelphia roster for two years, starting in early 1956, because of the bonus rule of the day.
In 1956, Burk was used exclusively as a pinch runner except for one inning behind the plate and a pinch-hitting appearance in which he singled off Joe Nuxhall of the Cincinnati Redlegs. He would finish his ML career with a sensational .500 batting average, with one hit in two official plate appearances. He served in the United States military in 1957, during the Korean confict, interrupting his mandatory stay in the majors, and then played in the winter leagues in Panama following his discharge. The bonus rule was revoked after the 1957 season, meaning Burk could be sent down to the minors without spending a second year on the Phillies' bench; he played for the class AA Tulsa Oilers to begin 1958. He hit .182 in eight games and was sent to the class A Williamsport Grays. Burk hit .236 in 94 games for the Grays. He was recalled briefly to the big club during the season and pinch-hit once more for the Phillies in 1958, striking out, giving him a two at-bat major league career.
In 1959, he started out on fire in the Eastern League, going 11 for 14 with three home runs over the Memorial day week-end to earn a promotion to the Buffalo Bisons of the International League. But in 1960, he went all the way back down to the South Atlantic League, playing for the Asheville Tourists, where he hit a solid .281 with 25 doubles in 114 games. Burk left baseball at that point. He had appeared in 286 games in the minors, hitting .258.
Burk settled in Houston, TX, where he worked in electrical supplies sales.
[edit] Sources
[edit] Further Reading
- Clifford Blau: "Leg Men: Career Pinch-Runners in Major League Baseball", in The Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Volume 38, Number 1 (Summer 2009), pp. 70-81.
