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Jesse Burkett broke into professional baseball as a pitcher. In 1890, his first big league season, he went 3-10 with a 5.57 ERA for the New York Giants. That year Burkett also had hit .309 in 401 at bats.

The Cleveland Spiders purchased him in the off-season. Burkett focused full time as a hitter on his way to a Hall of Fame career.

The three-time batting champion is remembered for his inclusion in one of baseball’s most prestigious fraternities — men who have hit .400 or better more than once. Burkett’s first batting title came with the Cleveland Spiders in 1895. The outfielder hit .405 with a National League-leading 225 hits. He followed that up by hitting .410 in 1896, again leading the league in hits with 240.

Burkett captured another batting title in 1901 – the best season of his career. Playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, Burkett led the league in hits, runs, batting average, on-base percentage, total bases, and OPS+.

Ten times Burkett finished in the league’s top ten in on-base percentage, including six top-five finishes. His career mark of .415 is one of the best in baseball history.

By the time he retired, Burkett compiled some gaudy numbers including 2,850 hits and a .338 lifetime average. He also holds the MLB record with 55 career inside-the-park home runs. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1946.

In the collection is this autographed baseball card produced by Callahan in 1950.

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Jesse Burkett hit .410 for the Cleveland Spiders in 1895. That season he tallied 240 base hits to eclipse Hugh Duffy’s major league record. Duffy established the mark in 1894 when he recorded 237 safeties on his way to a .440 average.

Burkett held the mark through the turn of the century until 1911.

The document above shows Duffy’s signature as Vice President of the Boston Red Sox. Signed in 1953, 47 years after Duffy’s retirement as a player, the document outlines additions to the Sox regional radio network.

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Jesse Burkett is a member of one of baseball’s most prestigious clubs. Only five men in baseball history have topped the mythical .400 mark in more than one season.

Burkett performed his batting wizardry in back-to-back seasons starting in 1895. The Cleveland Spiders left fielder hit .405 in ’95 and .410 in ’96. Each time he earned the batting crown. Burkett also claimed the league’s highest average in 1901 with the St. Louis Cardinals when he hit .376. His hitting prowess earned Burkett election into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.

The other four men to claim multiple .400 seasons are Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, George Sisler, and Ed Delahanty.

Shown here is a letter written by Sid Keener in his position as Director of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He writes to Delahanty’s daughter. Dated June 9 the year Burkett was inducted, the letter reads in part, “I am enclosing some press releases on Jesse Burkett, Dan Brouthers, Jim O’Rourke, and Mike Kelly. I think you saw some of these men play.”

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Jesse Burkett was baseball’s record holder for hits in a season from 1896-1911. He established the mark at 240 in 1896 when he reached the .400 plateau for the second consecutive season.

Sixteen years later Ty Cobb eclipsed Burkett by recording 248 hits in 1911 when he hit .419. Cobb held the top spot until 1920 when George Sisler surpassed him with 257 safeties. Sisler stood alone for 84 years until Ichiro Suzuki made the mark his with an astounding 262 base hits in 2004.

Ty Cobb’s personal check is shown above. Adorned with the George Peach’s signature, it is dated September 5, 1945.