 Despite the beauty of his "up-shoot" pitch, Burns played for a seventh place team that compiled a 40–58 record.In his first major league game, on May 3, 1883, Burns was the losing pitcher in a 10-1 defeat against the Chicago White Stockings.Burns gave up 12 hits and three bases on balls in nine innings, but his team also committed 10 errors (including three by shortstop Sadie Houck), and the "Detroit Free Press" was upbeat about Burns' debut performance