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Batout – An A.J. Burnett tribute
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
February 19th, 2012 may be the most important date of the last twenty years for the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the day A.J. Burnett was traded by the New York Yankees to the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor leaguers, Exicardo Cayones and Diego Moreno. To say the Pirates won this trade would be a gross understatement. How many of you have heard the names Exicardo Cayones and Diego Moreno since that trade? Neither have made much of an impact and only Moreno has seen Major League service time to the tune of 10.1 innings and a 5.23ERA with a 4.30FIP. However, I am not here to talk about numbers or how well Burnett has pitched as a member of the Pirates, I am here to talk about what he has meant to our city’s baseball club.
A.J. Burnett spent most 2012 and 2013 as the ace and leader of the Pittsburgh Pirates. From the moment he got here, you could feel the attitude shifting and the culture changing. He wasn’t going to let the Pirates be pushovers anymore. From his first start as a Pirate, April 21st, 2012 against the Cardinals, you knew that Batman meant business. On that day he pitched well as he went seven innings, allowed zero runs on three hits, struck out seven and the Pirates won 2-0. 2012 also saw the Pirates in contention for most of the season with Burnett leading the charge as the team was built around their starting pitching staff. Unfortunately we all remember how September 2012 went, as the Pirates collapsed and faded out of contention all the way to a 79-83 finish. You could feel the tides starting to turn, however as the Pirates finally broke through and made the playoffs in 2013, winning the memorable Wildcard game, before taking the St. Louis Cardinals to five games.
Burnett has a lot of memorable moments as a Pirate. From telling Hanley Ramirez to “STFD,” the Opening Day 2013 rosin bag explosion, his almost no-hitter against the Cubs, his complete game victory against the Rockies and all the Walk-off victory pies. It’s easy to quantify Burnett’s value in terms of numbers, because he’s been such a consistent pitcher while wearing the black and gold, but his contributions go so beyond numbers, which may be sacrilege to my fellow saber-heads, but it’s very obvious that his teammates love him and love playing behind him when he’s starting. So, without further adieu here are my top-five favorite A.J. Burnett moments as a Pirate…
Next: Number Five
Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
- The Dark Knight Returns
Following the 2013 season, A.J. flirted with the idea of retiring and he told the media it’s Pittsburgh or no one. Well, no one turned out to be the Philadelphia Phillies as A.J. Burnett signed with them during Spring Training 2014 and had a very up and down season with them. He went 8-18 with a 4.59ERA/4.14FIP and allowed the most earned runs in all of baseball. Most assumed Burnett would have been moved at the deadline, but he had a player option for 2015 worth $12.5 million, so that hindered things a bit.
A.J. decided to opt out of his deal with the Phillies following the 2014 season and sign for much less to return to Pittsburgh. It inspired many memes on social media of The DARK KNIGHT RETURNS or Welcome back, Batman and it was awesome! Knowing that Burnett took less money to come back to Pittsburgh proves the bond he has with this city and the bond it has with him. For a player in today’s sports climate to take less money to return “home” is almost unheard of nowadays, but A.J. did it for Pittsburgh.
April 9th, 2015 was a fairly solid start for Batman as he went 5.1 innings, allowed two runs on four hits and struck out seven. Unfortunately, the Pirates lost to the Cincinnati Reds 3-2, but that really didn’t matter. A.J. Burnett was back in a Pirates uniform and looked to be at least a solid contributor to a contending team. It wasn’t Burnett’s best start as a Pirate but it was memorable seeing Batman back in black and gold.
Next: Number Four
Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
- Almost no-hitter against the Cubs
July 31st, 2012 saw the Pirates sitting at 59-44 and right in the thick of a pennant race. A.J. Burnett was the starting pitcher that day against the Chicago Cubs and he was absolutely locked in. He struck out eight and didn’t allow a hit until the bottom of the eighth inning off of Adrian Cárdenas.
He finished the job in the ninth inning and ended up throwing a complete game one hitter. Nothing to sneeze at, but many fans agree that A.J. should have had a no-hitter. A check swing call went against the veteran as rookie batter, Cárdenas was given ball one instead of strike three. He then singled on the next pitch and Burnett’s no-hitter was gone.
Lots of pitchers flirt with no-hitters that get broken up in the eighth inning or later, but this was Burnett’s inaugural season as a Pirate and it was one of the highlights of 2012 before the team faded down the stretch, so this just comes off as a huge moment for the team. I remember I watched the first part of this game at a bar and then had to head home during the seventh inning. I raced home, listening to the radio, not wanting to miss seeing a potential no-hitter. I got home just in time to see the first two outs of the eighth inning before the no-hitter was gone. Maybe not the super iconic moment of Burnett’s career, but it was something I will never forget. I will also never forget the final out being recorded and watching Burnett embrace catcher, Rod Barajas. It was a cool moment and in my opinion, very underrated.
Next: Number Three
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
- Holy complete game, Batman!!!
For most of the 2013 season, a lot of Pirates’ fans were waiting for the other shoe to drop. Two second collapses in 2011 and 2012 left fans very weary of the contending Pirates, but the collapse never happened as the Pirates pushed to win 94 games and the top Wildcard spot. There were a ton of amazing moments in 2013, but one particular Sunday afternoon game stands out to me.
August 4th, 2013 against the Rockies, Burnett pitched another complete game gem. He didn’t flirt with a no-hitter this time, but he still completely stifled the Rockies’ offense. He struck out nine and allowed one run on eight hits. A pretty typical filthy start for Batman, but this moment to me got made by Greg Brown. He was in top form as he lived and died with every Burnett pitch. As the game progressed and it became clear that a complete game was in sight, the game was way more intense than a 5-1 game between a first place team and a fourth place team should be.
I won’t recap the entire game, but I will take you to the ninth inning. The Pirates were winning 5-1 and Burnett was mostly cruising to the finish line when trouble started brewing. The inning started with Troy Tulowitzki striking out looking. Then Michael Cuddyer singled and I think a lot of fans assumed that Clint Hurdle would remove Burnett since his pitch count was well over 100, but Hurdle stuck with Batman and Todd Helton grounded into a game ending double play. Nothing overly fancy, but what made the moment amazing to me was Greg Brown’s call of “holy complete game, Batman!!!” It was pure and genuine and I leapt from my couch in excitement the moment Helton was called out.
I just love this game so much because to me it represents everything Burnett is to the Pirates. He looked dominant at times, got into a little trouble, battled out of it and you saw all the emotions as he fist pumped right as the double play ended the game. It was everything A.J. Burnett is in one baseball game.
Next: Number Two
Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
- All Star Batman
A.J. Burnett has pretty much accomplished everything a baseball player can during his career. He pitched a no-hitter, lead the league in strikeouts and won two World Series titles. However one accolade eluded Burnett entering the final year of his career and that’s an All Star appearance. Despite pitching well for so long, Burnett had never been named to the All Star team. That finally changed in 2015.
Burnett was absolutely dominant in the first half of the 2015 season. He looked way better than anyone expected him to look. As the calender pushed through June, many Pirates fans were hoping to finally see Batman in an All Star uniform. Finally on July 11th, 2015, Burnett was officially named to the National League All Star Team. It was one of the coolest moments of the first half and something Batman truly deserved. Plus it only made sense that it happened with the Pirates. This team and city unconditionally love Burnett and it would have been wrong to see him make his first All Star appearance with anyone else.
Burnett completely owned the moment as he walked red carpets with his wife and two sons. They completely stole the show on several occasions, but the coolest was seeing A.J.’s sons interviewed on MLB Network’s Intentional Talk. The young boys’ killed it and made an already awesome moment, even more special.
Burnett never pitched in the game, but that really didn’t matter as just being on the team was truly the biggest honor. After 17 years, 3000+ strikeouts, a no-hitter and two World Series titles, A.J. Burnett was finally an All Star. No one deserved it more.
Next: The number One A.J. Moment
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
- Sit the **** down!!!
This is a no-brainer to me as it has become the official twitter hashtag for big strikeouts and it started in a game where Burnett honestly didn’t pitch all that well. August 16th, 2012 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Earlier in the game Hanley Ramirez homered and did his “I see you” thing while rounding the bases, which Burnett apparently didn’t appreciate as he yelled at Ramirez while he was touching home. That could have been the end of it, but Burnett is an emotional man and couldn’t let it go.
During Ramirez’s next at-bat, Burnett struck him out on a curveball in the dirt and while walking back to the dugout, he locked eyes with Ramirez and told him to sit the **** down. This is a family site, so I won’t say what the censored part is, but I am sure you can guess.
Almost instantly STFD became a battle cry for Pirates’ fans and A.J. Burnett. T-shirts were made and it became an internet phenomenon. Especially once Burnett himself was seen wearing the Centerfield Smoke STFD t-shirt. We’re three years removed from this moment, but it still Burnett’s signature moment to me as a Pirate. It showed that the Pirates weren’t going to let a visiting player come in and disrespect them. It solidified Burnett as the spiritual leader of the team and showed that A.J. Burnett is completely badass.
Next: Final Thoughts
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The 2015 season is winding down and A.J. Burnett only has one more regular season home start left before he rides off into the sunset and retires as an active baseball player. Saturday October 3rd is it for Batman and it’s time for Pittsburgh to show their support. Wear your Batman gear and send A.J. Burnett out the way he deserves. Be loud and let him know what he means to this city and franchise.
The wildcard game will be a Blackout, but October 3rd, 2015 will be a #Batout. Bring your Batman symbol swag, wear Batman t-shirts and be as loud as possible for the man that helped change the culture of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He wasn’t alone obviously, but without A.J. Burnett, I don’t think the Pirates make the playoffs in 2013. Not only because he was such an effective pitcher, but because he was such a leader in that clubhouse and a man that the entire city could embrace. He was talented, loud, tattooed and emotional. He’s everything Pittsburgh is. He’s us and damn it, we love him for it.
So let’s give Batman a kick-ass send off as he winds down the end of a fantastic career. Lets get #BatoutPNC trending and lets #PackPNC. The playoffs are still the most important thing, but before that happens, lets show A.J. Burnett how much we appreciate him as both a pitcher and a person. I can’t think of a better way than making sure PNC Park doesn’t have lots of empty seats.