Today in Wheeling History: December 4--Jesse Burkett, Hall of Fame baseball player, was born in Wheeling, West Virginia (1868).
Jesse Cail Burkett, nicknamed "Crab," was born on December 4, 1868, in Wheeling, West Virginia, to Granville and Ellen Burkett. His father worked as a laborer and painter for the Wheeling and Belmont Bridge Company. Burkett grew up in the Wheeling Island neighborhood, where he developed a love for baseball and swimming in the Ohio River. He began his professional baseball career as a pitcher, winning 27 games for the Scranton Miners of the Central League at age 19. In 1889, he compiled a 39-6 record for the Worcester Grays of the New England League.
Burkett made his Major League Baseball debut with the New York Giants in 1890. He later played for the Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Perfectos/Cardinals, St. Louis Browns, and Boston Americans. Known for his exceptional batting skills, Burkett batted over .400 twice and held the major league single-season hits record for 15 years. He was a three-time National League batting champion and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. After his playing career, Burkett managed in the minor leagues and coached at Holy Cross College. He passed away on May 27, 1953, in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he was buried.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://shorturl.at/klLD4); Wikipedia (https://shorturl.at/oJ0za), Society for American Baseball Research (https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/jesse-burkett/)
Photo credits: The Sporting News, Library of Congress
Jesse Cail Burkett, nicknamed "Crab," was born on December 4, 1868, in Wheeling, West Virginia, to Granville and Ellen Burkett. His father worked as a laborer and painter for the Wheeling and Belmont Bridge Company. Burkett grew up in the Wheeling Island neighborhood, where he developed a love for baseball and swimming in the Ohio River. He began his professional baseball career as a pitcher, winning 27 games for the Scranton Miners of the Central League at age 19. In 1889, he compiled a 39-6 record for the Worcester Grays of the New England League.
Burkett made his Major League Baseball debut with the New York Giants in 1890. He later played for the Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Perfectos/Cardinals, St. Louis Browns, and Boston Americans. Known for his exceptional batting skills, Burkett batted over .400 twice and held the major league single-season hits record for 15 years. He was a three-time National League batting champion and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946. After his playing career, Burkett managed in the minor leagues and coached at Holy Cross College. He passed away on May 27, 1953, in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he was buried.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://shorturl.at/klLD4); Wikipedia (https://shorturl.at/oJ0za), Society for American Baseball Research (https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/jesse-burkett/)
Photo credits: The Sporting News, Library of Congress
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