 Bertram Ray Burris was born August 22, 1950 in Idabel, Oklahoma. He attended school at Southwestern Oklahoma State University as was a pitcher on the baseball team. Burris and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 17th round of the 1972 amateur draft. Ray Burris made his major league pitching debut with the Cubs in April of 1973. Burris appeared in 31 games during his rookie season (1973). He saw limited action again in 1974 but by 1975 he was a starting pitcher for the Cubs. Burris went 15-10 his first full season with a 4.12 ERA. Burris had 3 solid seasons back to back with the Cubs from 1975 - 1977. A slow start to the 1978 led to a 7 - 13 season. The following season, the Cubs traded Burris to the New York Yankees for Dick Tidrow. Burris played sparingly for the Yankees before his release in August. The New Mets picked up Burris in August of 1979 and he spent another season and a half in New York. Burris was signed by the Montreal Expos as a free agent in Feb. of 1980. Burris had 3 less than spectacular seasons north of the Border before he was traded to the Oakland A's in 1983. After a season in Oakland, Burris was on the move again. This time he ended up in Milwaukee with the Brewers. He was released after one season in Milwaukee and signed with the Cardinals in 1986. The Cardinals released Burris before the end of the 1986 season. He signed on with the Brewers as a pitching coach in 1987 but ended up pitching in 10 games late in the season. He finally retired from active play after the 1987 season but has remained in baseball as a coach ever since. Ray Burris played 15 seasons in the big leagues. He compiled a 108 - 124 record with a 4.17 ERA. Ray Burris became the pitching coach for the West Michigan Wildcaps (Tigers farm team) in 2007. |
