Triple Play:
1. John rode the support of a very good Giants club to a 22-7 record in 1993, tying Tom Glavine for the league lead in wins despite a slightly above-average 3.65 ERA. He also threw a career-high 231.2 innings, walked only 40 hitters, and finished fourth in Cy Young Award voting.
2. In Game One of the 1996 AL Division Series, Burkett earned the first postseason win in Rangers' franchise history with a complete-game, two-run, 10-strikeout effort. It was also Texas' only postseason victory until their 2010 run to the World Series.
3. Wikipedia claims that he was known as "Sheets" when he pitched for the Red Sox in 2002-2003, due to his penchant for organizing NFL betting pools. Sounds legit.
11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I remember seeing his 1992 Pinnacle Sidelines card, which depicted the righty excelling at the sport/hobby of bowling. He's reportedly bowled four perfect scores of 300, which is four more times than I've even managed to top 200.
Bill James Said: "As often happens when a pitcher gets a hot hand, he worked harder than he's ever worked before, which may catch up with him this year." John had a 3.62 ERA (110 ERA+) in 1994, comparable to his 3.65 ERA (107 ERA+) the year prior, but wasn't nearly as lucky in wins and losses, going 6-8.
On This Date in 1993: August 27. John Burkett took a rare loss, falling to 16-8 with a 7-4 loss to Pat Rapp and the Marlins. Florida first baseman Orestes Destrade did most of the damage, touching up Burkett for a two-run single and a three-run homer and adding a solo shot against reliever Jeff Brantley.
I wonder if anyone has every written anything about John Burkett without mentioning he is a bowler?
ReplyDeleteMax - It's like the "Jerome Bettis is from Detroit" of baseball factoids.
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