Jesse Burkett
A ferocious left-handed hitter who was one of baseball's last .400 batters and a notorious, hot-tempered competitor.
1868–1953 (age 85)·American baseball player·Birthday: December 4·The Gilded Age
Biography
Jesse 'Crab' Burkett played the game with a snarl and a sublime bat. In the dead-ball era, where hitting was a science of placement and grit, Burkett was a pure and consistent hitting machine. A left-handed thrower who batted lefty, he choked up on the bat and sprayed line drives to all fields with remarkable consistency. He batted over .400 twice, in 1895 and 1896, and won three National League batting titles. His nickname 'Crab' spoke to his notoriously sour disposition; he was quick to argue with umpires, opponents, and even his own teammates. This combative nature sometimes overshadowed his brilliance at the plate. After his major league career, he became a successful college coach at Holy Cross, proving there was a keen baseball mind behind the perpetual scowl.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Jesse was born in 1868, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jesse Was Born
The biggest hits of 1868
Jesse's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1868Born
President: Andrew Johnson
1873Started school
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1881Became a teenager
President: Chester A. Arthur
1884Could drive
President: Chester A. Arthur
1886Could vote
Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York Harbor
President: Grover Cleveland
1889Turned 21
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1898Turned 30
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1908Turned 40
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1918Turned 50
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1928Turned 60
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1938Turned 70
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1948Turned 80
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Died at 85
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
Key Achievements
- Won three National League batting titles (1895, 1896, 1901).
- Batted over .400 in two consecutive seasons (.409 in 1895 and .410 in 1896).
- Recorded over 200 hits in a season five times during his career.
- Was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1946.
Did You Know?
He is one of only a handful of players to have recorded 3,000 career hits (he finished with 2,850, but historical revisions later credited him with over 3,000).
He was a player-manager for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1899.
After his playing days, he coached college baseball at Holy Cross for nearly 20 years.
“Choke up and meet the ball; don't try to kill it.”
