Smoky Burgess was born on Sunday, February 6, 1927, in Caroleen, North Carolina. Burgess was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 19, 1949, with the Chicago Cubs. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Smoky Burgess baseball stats page.
"Smoky Burgess did not possess the physique of a Greek god, nor even that of the average major leaguer. Standing in at a pudgy 5’8”, Burgess was saddled with such unflattering descriptions as 'a walking laundry bag' and 'barely fit enough to play for the Moose Lodge softball team.' Physical conditioning aside, nobody debates that Smoky Burgess could hit at any time, against any pitcher, in any situation." - Sturgill, Andy. Sweet '60: The 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates. SABR, 2 April 2013. Page 16.
Smoky Burgess![]() Smoky Burgess Autograph on a 1989 Pacific Baseball Card (#201) |
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Smoky BurgessSmoky Burgess Pitching Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
| - | - | Did Not Pitch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
Smoky BurgessSmoky Burgess Hitting Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 1949 | 22 | Cubs | 46 | 56 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 0 | 1 | .268 | .317 | .321 |
| 1951 | 24 | Cubs | 94 | 219 | 21 | 55 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 21 | 5 | 12 | 0 | - | 0 | 10 | .251 | .317 | .315 |
| 1952 | 25 | Phillies | 110 | 371 | 49 | 110 | 27 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 56 | 49 | 1 | 21 | 3 | - | 1 | 4 | .296 | .380 | .429 |
| 1953 | 26 | Phillies | 102 | 312 | 31 | 91 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 36 | 37 | 5 | 17 | 0 | - | 2 | 11 | .292 | .370 | .417 |
| 1954 | 27 | Phillies | 108 | 345 | 41 | 127 | 27 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 46 | 42 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 10 | .368 | .432 | .510 |
| 1955 | 28 | Phillies | 7 | 21 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .190 | .292 | .429 |
| 1955 | 28 | Redlegs | 116 | 421 | 67 | 129 | 15 | 3 | 20 | 2 | 77 | 47 | 4 | 35 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 11 | .306 | .373 | .499 |
| 1956 | 29 | Redlegs | 90 | 229 | 28 | 63 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 39 | 26 | 4 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | .275 | .346 | .476 |
| 1957 | 30 | Redlegs | 90 | 205 | 29 | 58 | 14 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 39 | 24 | 5 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | .283 | .353 | .566 |
| 1958 | 31 | Redlegs | 99 | 251 | 28 | 71 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 31 | 22 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | .283 | .343 | .410 |
| 1959 | 32 | Pirates | 114 | 377 | 41 | 112 | 28 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 59 | 31 | 9 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 10 | .297 | .349 | .485 |
| 1960 | 33 | Pirates | 110 | 337 | 33 | 99 | 15 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 39 | 35 | 12 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | .294 | .356 | .412 |
| 1961 | 34 | Pirates | 100 | 323 | 37 | 98 | 17 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 52 | 30 | 8 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | .303 | .365 | .486 |
| 1962 | 35 | Pirates | 103 | 360 | 38 | 118 | 19 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 61 | 31 | 9 | 19 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 6 | .328 | .375 | .500 |
| 1963 | 36 | Pirates | 91 | 264 | 20 | 74 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 37 | 24 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 12 | .280 | .338 | .394 |
| 1964 | 37 | Pirates | 68 | 171 | 9 | 42 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | .246 | .303 | .310 |
| 1964 | 37 | White Sox | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | .429 | .800 |
| 1965 | 38 | White Sox | 80 | 77 | 2 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .286 | .371 | .416 |
| 1966 | 39 | White Sox | 79 | 67 | 0 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .313 | .413 | .388 |
| 1967 | 40 | White Sox | 77 | 60 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .133 | .303 | .250 |
| Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
| 18 Years | 1,691 | 4,471 | 485 | 1,318 | 230 | 33 | 126 | 2 | 673 | 477 | 96 | 270 | 13 | 39 | 13 | 121 | .295 | .362 | .446 | ||
Smoky BurgessSmoky Burgess Fielding Stats |
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| Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| 1949 Cubs | C | 8 | 5 | 129 | 27 | 3.4 | 27 | 21 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 5.65 |
| 1951 Cubs | C | 64 | 49 | 1,392 | 250 | 3.9 | 245 | 210 | 35 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 36 | 15 | .980 | 4.75 |
| 1952 Phillies | C | 104 | 102 | 2,754 | 497 | 4.8 | 486 | 439 | 47 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 27 | 26 | .978 | 4.76 |
| 1953 Phillies | C | 95 | 85 | 2,256 | 421 | 4.4 | 418 | 395 | 23 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 19 | 6 | .993 | 5.00 |
| 1954 Phillies | C | 91 | 85 | 2,249 | 396 | 4.4 | 386 | 356 | 30 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 16 | .975 | 4.63 |
| 1955 Phillies | C | 6 | 6 | 153 | 36 | 6.0 | 36 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 6.35 |
| 1955 Redlegs | C | 107 | 103 | 2,736 | 499 | 4.7 | 492 | 457 | 35 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 25 | 18 | .986 | 4.86 |
| 1956 Redlegs | C | 55 | 53 | 1,389 | 275 | 5.0 | 275 | 257 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 20 | 7 | 1.000 | 5.35 |
| 1957 Redlegs | C | 45 | 42 | 1,135 | 241 | 5.4 | 238 | 223 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 6 | .988 | 5.66 |
| 1958 Redlegs | C | 58 | 53 | 1,419 | 322 | 5.6 | 318 | 297 | 21 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 10 | .988 | 6.05 |
| 1959 Pirates | C | 101 | 95 | 2,394 | 488 | 4.8 | 480 | 441 | 39 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 30 | 21 | .984 | 5.41 |
| 1960 Pirates | C | 89 | 86 | 2,245 | 526 | 5.9 | 523 | 485 | 38 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 22 | 22 | .994 | 6.29 |
| 1961 Pirates | C | 92 | 83 | 2,188 | 457 | 5.0 | 453 | 426 | 27 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 20 | 12 | .991 | 5.59 |
| 1962 Pirates | C | 101 | 94 | 2,522 | 602 | 6.0 | 595 | 550 | 45 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 45 | 18 | .988 | 6.37 |
| 1963 Pirates | C | 72 | 65 | 1,720 | 408 | 5.7 | 404 | 364 | 40 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 36 | 20 | .990 | 6.34 |
| 1964 Pirates | C | 44 | 40 | 1,075 | 257 | 5.8 | 255 | 237 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 6 | .992 | 6.40 |
| 1965 White Sox | C | 5 | 3 | 78 | 20 | 4.0 | 20 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 6.92 |
| 1966 White Sox | C | 2 | 0 | 15 | 4 | 2.0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 7.20 |
| Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| C Totals | 1,139 | 1,049 | 27,849 | 5,726 | 5.0 | 5,655 | 5,214 | 441 | 71 | 63 | 73 | 360 | 204 | .988 | 5.48 | |
| 17 Years | 1,139 | 1,049 | 27,849 | 5,726 | 5.0 | 5,655 | 5,214 | 441 | 71 | 63 | 73 | 360 | 204 | .988 | 5.48 | |
Smoky BurgessSmoky Burgess Miscellaneous Stats |
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| Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
| Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 1949 Cubs | 0 | 0 | .000 | 39 | 0 | n/a | 56.0 | 14.0 | 4.7 | - | - | - |
| 1951 Cubs | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 39 | 0 | n/a | 109.5 | 18.3 | 11.0 | - | - | - |
| 1952 Phillies | 3 | 1 | .750 | 7 | 0 | n/a | 61.8 | 17.7 | 6.6 | - | - | - |
| 1953 Phillies | 3 | 2 | .600 | 9 | 0 | n/a | 78.0 | 18.4 | 8.7 | - | - | - |
| 1954 Phillies | 1 | 5 | .167 | 20 | 0 | n/a | 86.3 | 31.4 | 7.5 | - | - | - |
| 1955 Phillies | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 21.0 | 21.0 | 21.0 | - | - | - |
| 1955 Redlegs | 1 | 1 | .500 | 11 | 0 | n/a | 21.1 | 12.0 | 5.5 | - | - | - |
| 1956 Redlegs | 0 | 1 | .000 | 37 | 0 | n/a | 19.1 | 12.7 | 5.9 | - | - | - |
| 1957 Redlegs | 0 | 0 | .000 | 48 | 0 | n/a | 14.6 | 12.8 | 5.3 | - | - | - |
| 1958 Redlegs | 0 | 0 | .000 | 44 | 0 | n/a | 41.8 | 12.6 | 8.1 | - | - | - |
| 1959 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 19 | 0 | n/a | 34.3 | 23.6 | 6.4 | - | - | - |
| 1960 Pirates | 0 | 1 | .000 | 24 | 0 | n/a | 48.1 | 25.9 | 8.6 | - | - | - |
| 1961 Pirates | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 15 | 0 | n/a | 26.9 | 20.2 | 6.2 | - | - | - |
| 1962 Pirates | 0 | 1 | .000 | 5 | 0 | n/a | 27.7 | 18.9 | 5.9 | - | - | - |
| 1963 Pirates | 0 | 1 | .000 | 23 | 0 | n/a | 44.0 | 18.9 | 7.1 | - | - | - |
| 1964 Pirates | 2 | 1 | .667 | 24 | 0 | n/a | 85.5 | 12.2 | 10.1 | - | - | - |
| 1964 White Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 7 | 0 | n/a | 5.0 | 0.0 | 5.0 | - | - | - |
| 1965 White Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 77 | 0 | n/a | 38.5 | 11.0 | 3.2 | - | - | - |
| 1966 White Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 79 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 8.4 | 4.5 | - | - | - |
| 1967 White Sox | 0 | 0 | .000 | 77 | 0 | n/a | 30.0 | 7.5 | 5.5 | - | - | - |
| Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 18 Years | 13 | 14 | .481 | 605 | 0 | n/a | 35.5 | 16.6 | 6.6 | - | - | - |

Forrest Harrill Burgess was a Major League Baseball player with the Chicago Cubs (1949, 1951), Philadelphia Phillies (1952-1955), Cincinnati Reds (1955-1958), Pittsburgh Pirates (1959-1964), and Chicago White Sox (1964-1967). Smoky, his nickname, led all National League catchers in fielding percentage in 1953 (.993), 1960 (.994) and 1961 (.991). Besides being defensively solid, Burgess often spoke with the hitters while they were trying to hit, as illustrated by this wonderfully written passage in The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract (James, Bill. Free Press Publishing. 13 June 2003.Page 392):
"One of my favorite paragraphs was written about Smoky Burgess in The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading, and Bubble Gum Book. 'Smoky Burgess was fat,' it begins, 'Not baseball fat like Mickey Lolich or Early Wynn. But FAT fat. Like the mailman or your Uncle Dwight. Putsy Fat. Slobby Fat. Just Plain Fat. In fact I would venture to say that Smoky Burgess was probably the fattest man ever to play professional baseball.'
Some catchers like to chatter at the hitters to see if they can mess them up while they're trying to hit. Smoky was the world's champion. He used to drive Richie Ashburn nuts. He'd say, 'Get ready, Rich; it's a fastball.' Ashburn would pop up or something, so Burgess would say 'You didn't do too well on the fastball, Richie; let's try a curve.' Of course, Ashburn never could believe him and couldn't ignore him. One time he asked the umpire, 'Isn't there some rule that will make that guy shut up?'"

Smoky Burgess Rookie Card | 1951 Bowman Baseball Card (#317 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Collection
Did you know that when Smoky Burgess hung up his cleats in 1967, he held the Major League record for career pinch-hits with 145? The previous mark of 114 pinch hits, set by Red Lucas, was crushed and Burgess held onto the record until 1979, when Manny Mota passed him, settling in at the 150 mark — since passed as well by Mark Sweeney (175) and Lenny Harris (212).
Did you know Smoky Burgess hit three home runs in a game played on July 29, 1955? Burgess drove in nine runs that day — the second most RBI in a game in team history for the Cincinnati Reds at the time behind Walker Cooper who had ten RBI on July 6, 1949.
Did you know Smoky Burgess was the backstop on May 26, 1959, when Harvey Haddix took a perfect game into the thirteenth inning against the Milwaukee Braves?
Did you know Smoky Burgess had twenty pinch hits in 1965, the most in season by a Chicago White Sox pinch hitter and only four shy of the American League record set by Dave Philley, twenty-four in 1961?
Did you know Smoky Burgess hit sixteen pinch hit home runs in his career? Second most in Major League history when he retired, behind Jerry Lynch (18).

Smoky Burgess (L), Lance Parrish (C), Paul Lo Duca (R)
Topps Cards Collage by Baseball Almanac
Paul Lo Duca wore three different uniforms (Dodgers in 2003 & 2004 / Marlins in 2005 / Mets in 2006) in three different All-Star Games as a catcher (who actually played in the game). Lance Parrish came before Lo Duca, matching the feat with the Tigers in 1980, 1982-1986, the Phillies in 1988, and the Angels in 1990. Smokey Burgess was the first backstop in baseball history in the "journeyman All-Star Catching-Club" wearing a Phillies uniform in 1954, a Redlegs uniform in 1955, and a Pirates uniform in 1959, 1960, 1961, and 1964.