James Eugene Burke (born September 24, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He attended Oregon State University, where, along with baseball, he played for the school's football team as the kicker. He now resides in his hometown of Roseburg. Professional career Minor League journeyman, 1993 to 2003 Burke was originally drafted by the California Angels in the ninth round of the amateur draft. He was signed as a free agent by the Chicago White Sox on January 27, . Chicago White Sox Burke played 73 games in the Major Leagues for the White Sox from 2003–. Texas Rangers, return to the minors The Texas Rangers signed Burke to a minor league deal near the end of the 2005 season. He did not appear in an MLB game during the season. A chance with the Mariners As a non-roster invitee in the Mariners' camp during spring training , he beat out incumbent René Rivera for the backup catcher job going into Opening Day. On September 30, 2007, on the last day of the regular season, Burke hit his first career home run against A. J. Murray of the Texas Rangers. On July 6, , Burke was pressed into service on the pitcher's mound in the 15th inning of a game against Detroit when the Mariners ran out of pitchers; he was credited with the loss. Burke allowed one hit and a run. The run scored after a lead off double, wild pitch, and sacrifice fly. Burke had previously made four pitching appearances in the minor leagues. Following the 2008 season, Burke was non-tendered by the Mariners, making him a free agent. He was re-signed by the Mariners to a minor league contract on December 23, saying this about the situation, The best gift would have been a major-league deal, but I'm pretty happy about this. This is a place I wanted to be. It's a situation I like and one that I think could work out very well. Burke was added to the active roster on April 16, 2009, following an injury to starting catcher Kenji Johjima. When Johjima returned from the disabled list on May 1, Burke was outrighted back to Tacoma; after clearing waivers, he accepted the assignment. On June 7, Burke was recalled up from Tacoma after the Mariners designated pitcher Denny Stark for assignment. In a winning effort, Burke went 2-5 with a home run