John Burkett

John Burkett
John Burkett
	Pitcher
	Born: November 28, 1964 (age 57); New Brighton, Pennsylvania
	Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
	September 15, 1987, for the San Francisco Giants
Last MLB appearance
	September 26, 2003, for the Boston Red Sox
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	166–136
Earned run average	4.31
Strikeouts	1,766
Teams
	San Francisco Giants (1987, 1990–1994); Florida Marlins (1995–1996); Texas Rangers (1996–1999); Atlanta Braves (2000–2001); Boston Red Sox (2002–2003);
Career highlights and awards
	2× All-Star (1993, 2001); NL wins leader (1993); San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame;

John David Burkett (born November 28, 1964) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He compiled 166 wins against 136 losses, 1,766 strikeouts, and a 4.31 earned run average. He pitched from 1987 to 2003, with the San Francisco Giants, Florida Marlins, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox.

Baseball career[]

Burkett made his debut for the San Francisco Giants late in the 1987 season, and pitched six innings in the majors. He was returned to the minors, where he remained for the next two years. His first full season for the Giants was 1990, during which he went 14–7 with a 3.79 ERA in 204 innings. On September 4, 1990, Burkett picked up his one and only save at the major league level. He pitched 3 shutout innings to close out a 6-4 Giants victory over the Padres. He saved the game for starting pitcher Mike LaCoss. ^[1]

Burkett's best season came in 1993 when he went 22–7 with a 3.65 ERA for the Giants. Burkett was a National League All-Star in 1993 and 2001. His 1996 postseason complete game win over the eventual World Series Champion New York Yankees was the first complete game in Divisional Series history, and the first postseason win in Texas Rangers history.

After being released in Spring Training by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2000, he was picked up by the Atlanta Braves and resurrected a career thought by many to be over. His 3.04 ERA ranked third in all of MLB for 2001. Despite the Braves winning their division that season, poor run support in Burkett's starts led to a modest 12–12 record. He was given the nickname "Sheets" during his days with the Atlanta Braves because of his betting and organizing pools for games in the clubhouse.

The 38-year old Burkett retired following the 2003 season after going 25–17 over two seasons with the Boston Red Sox.

Although a weak hitter at the plate, batting just .093 (50-for-540) with only 18 RBI, Burkett was above average defensively. He recorded a .982 fielding percentage with only 9 errors in 500 total chances in 2,648.1 innings pitched. His career fielding percentage was 26 points higher than the league average at his position.

Professional bowling[]

Burkett is also a part-time professional bowler, and has 32 perfect games to his credit. He cashed in several PBA Tour events during his baseball days, and joined the PBA50 Tour (formerly PBA Senior Tour) in 2015. He finished 15th in the 2015 Suncoast PBA Senior US Open and 4th at PBA50 Northern California Classic. His 2016 campaign was cut short when he had right ankle surgery. 2017 PBA50 season top finishes were 11th in PBA50 National Championship, 24th at the Senior US Open, 11th at Dave Small's Championship Lanes Classic, and 9th at the DeHayes Insurance Group Championship. ^[2] On August 18, 2019, Burkett won a PBA Regional Tour event at the PBA Houston Emerald Bowl Southwest Challenge in Houston, Texas, which was his first PBA title of any kind.^[3]

Personal[]

He has three children: Avery, Maxwell and Reid.

References[]

^ "San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres Box Score, September 4, 1990". Baseball-Reference.com.
^ Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open Tournaments – Full Standings. PBA.com. Retrieved on May 27, 2016.
^ Vint, Bill (August 23, 2019). "PBA Spare Shots: Former MLB All-Star John Burkett Wins First PBA Title in Houston Regional Event". PBA.com. Retrieved August 23, 2019.

External links[]

Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)

[1] "San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres Box Score, September 4, 1990". Baseball-Reference.com.

[2] Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open Tournaments – Full Standings. PBA.com. Retrieved on May 27, 2016.

[3] Vint, Bill (August 23, 2019). "PBA Spare Shots: Former MLB All-Star John Burkett Wins First PBA Title in Houston Regional Event". PBA.com. Retrieved August 23, 2019.

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