Prior to Saturday’s contest against the Texas Rangers, the Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contract of Andy Burns and optioned Mitch White to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Dennis Santana was designated for assignment to make room for Burns on the 40-man roster.
Burns provides the Dodgers some much needed depth as both Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy are dealing with respective injuries. It didn’t take long for the 30-year-old to be thrown into the action, as he started at second base and picked up his first MLB hit.
Burns additionally pitched the ninth inning of Saturday’s contest against the Rangers after taking over for Nate Jones. In doing so, Burns became the first position player to collect his first career hit and pitch in the same game since at least the Expansion Era (1961).
After an eventful night, Burns credited his passion for the game in earning another call-up to the Majors, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“I love this game. I love it through and through. I like to look at myself as a gamer and the beauty of the game. I think that’s part of the reason why I’ve lasted so long is playing the game of baseball. There’s so much more than hits and fielding. Being in the right spots, knowing what the pitcher is going to throw, all those things make a good baseball player. It’s been a long road and there’s been hard times and great times. Obviously, [Saturday] night being one of the better moments of my career. In all those games in the Minor Leagues, going overseas, playing all these games, to finally get that big league hit here at Dodger Stadium made it all worth it.”
For Burns, notching his first hit at Dodger Stadium was a long time in the making but certainly worth the wait. He was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 11th round of the 2011 MLB Draft and stayed with the organization through the 2017 season.
Burns then played two seasons in the KBO before returning to the Blue Jays organization in 2019. He also briefly joined the Australian Baseball League that year.
After the 2020 Minor League season was cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Burns inked a contract with the Dodgers this past offseason. He had appeared in 30 games for Oklahoma City and was in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak before his promotion.
Burns embraced opportunity to ‘make history’ in Dodgers debut
When presented the opportunity to pitch in his Dodgers debut, Burns did not hesitate. “I just asked him if he was ready to make history, and he said, ‘Let’s do it,’” manager Dave Roberts said after Saturday’s game.
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