Voice of Ellis Burks

By Greg Echlin

From the stands behind home plate at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, April 11, Ellis Burks watched  Seattle Mariners second baseman Dee Gordon loft a ball into the right field seats to set a major league record. Burks, a former standout outfielder, played a role in the record that got erased.

Against the Kansas City Royals that afternoon, the Mariners homered in each of their first 15 games this season to wipe the 2002 Cleveland Indians from the ledger.  Burks hit 32 homers for the ’02 Indians, second to 52 slugged by Hall of Famer Jim Thome.

With long-ball threats like Edwin Encarnicion, Ryon Healy and Daniel Vogelbach in the lineup that day—Jay Bruce was sitting out the game with a heel injury—Gordon wouldn’t have been the first hitter to come to mind when thinking about homers.  It was Gordon’s first of the season.

“It takes a team to win and they (the Mariners) are utilizing that,” observed Burks, who was unaware of the Indians’ accomplishment in ’02 until it was brought to his attention.  But at the age of 37 as Cleveland’s DH that year, he recalls a lineup that had plenty of deep threats.

“I came over as a free agent the year before.  The camaraderie was there and, of course, the talent was there,” said Burks, who was in Kansas City scouting when the Mariners broke the Indians’ record.  After losing their first game of the season, the Indians reeled off a 10-game winning streak in ’02.  But they went into a tailspin under manager Charlie Manual and lost nine of their next ten games and finished third in the American League Central.

Burks believes the Mariners have a chance to do better in the long run than the ’02 Indians.

“When you have a good core of guys, the winning becomes contagious like it is for them early,” said Burks.  “You expect to win and I’m sure they do.

The Mariners won 89 games last year, but missed the playoffs.

More Baseball:

“Alex Gordon’s Good-Luck Charm Is Gone”
“Marty Pattin Was Mr. Everything As A Pitcher”