 During the 1884 season, he led the Union Association (UA) with 12 triples, ranked third in the league with a .457 slugging percentage, and compiled a 23–15 record and 2.46 ERA as pitcher, and threw a no-hitter.Baseball historian Bill James in "The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract" has cited Burns' dramatically improved performance in 1884 in support of his view that the UA was not a true major league.Although his major league career ended in July 1885, Burns continued to play minor league baseball through the 1890 season and later became a cigar and tobacco seller in his hometown of Holyoke, Massachusetts.