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New York Yankee Fans Have To Play Nice With AJ Burnett Too

Posted by on 8 March 2011, 5:39 am

After a disappointing finish in 2010 season, New York Yankees pitcher AJ Burnett knew what he has to do.

When Burnett first came to New York in 2009 from the Toronto Blue Jays he delivered, posting a 4.04 ERA, eating 207 innings and 195 strikeouts in the regular season. He followed by making 5 postseason starts, where he went 6+ innings in four starts.

The Yankees won three critical playoff games with Burnett on the mound, which eventually led to the franchise’s 27th World Series title.

Burnett showed no signs of slowing down when 2010 season began. He didn’t lose a game in March/April finishing the month with a 3-0 record over five starts and a 2.34 ERA.

By the All-Star break Burnett started to slip. Still, he left no time for the Yankees to worry, as in July Burnett posted a 3-1 record over five starts, an ERA of 2.0 and threw one complete game.

It is easy to forget, or it was hard to remember how well Burnett was pitching last season before the real damage came in August.

Burnett literally was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in pinstripes, finishing 0-4 with a 7.80 ERA in five starts.

Whether it was pitching coach Dave Eiland going AWOL for weeks, or something personal like his mystery black eye, really didn’t matter because the discontent was all over his face. Something was clearly off.

Always known to be a fierce competitor, Burnett career is branded as wild hitting 89 batters in 12 seasons, 19 of which were from 2010.

In all fairness, no pitcher has ever been perfect all season long but no one expected Burnett too be either.

Burnett performances deemed ‘bad days’ are a whole new level of mess. Usually it happens in the third or fourth inning, after Burnett flashes though the two or three prior. Than he just implodes, sometimes allowing seven or more runs to score with only one out achieved.

If Burnett is not pulled and comes in following the hell he just allowed, he has a tendency to go right back to pitching like a stud again. Burnett defines frustration; you can see it in his face and on every fan at the game when this happens.

See all pitchers are expected to have tough games, but Burnett would have four or five solid outings maximum knowing inevitable struggles were on the horizon. This was part of having Burnett on your staff, and trust me any MLB team would be happy to have AJ as their solid number two. His stuff is electric and he so much natural talent.
The last two months of 2010, Burnett seemed to be stuck in that one bad inning, but it was no longer sandwiched in between accomplishments. It was painful for everyone to witness.

Now, with 2011 Spring Training in full swing fans have seen Burnett in a few outings and he looks phenomenal. He built a pitching facility on his property in the off-season and all his hard work is headin in the right direction.

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Yankees GM Brian Cashman Adresses Media About Jeter, Rivera, Girardi Contracts

Posted by on 25 October 2010, 1:48 pm

NEW YORK YANKEES BREAKING NEWS….

It’s no surprise to hear from New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman that pitching coach Dave Eiland will not be returning in 2011.

Eiland took an extended leave of absence in 2010, the reason still remains personal but it was almost a month until he returned to his job. The pitching did suffer during this time, especially AJ Burnett’s turn for the worst. This is a good move by the Yankees.

Cashman also made it clear the Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Skipper Joe Girardi are all priorities and that both sides have said they want to return in pinstripes. This is not a shocker to Yankees fans either, but it’s always nice to get some confirmation from someone in charge.

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New York Yankees Leave It To AJ Burnett

Posted by on 7 July 2010, 12:45 pm

New York Yankees leave it in the hands of AJ Burnett tonight, as a three-game sweep of the in Oakland Athletics is on the line.

When pitching coach Dave Eiland‘s went AWOL most of June, Burnett was significantly affected on the mound. It was the worst month in Burnett’s career, but it also was the worst pitched by a Yankee for the month ever.

At first, Eiland’s absence seemed like a story thrown out by the Yankees to get him some time, as Burnett ever made an excuse. Ups and downs do follow Burnett, but he hit bottom here for sure.

Burnett lost all five starts, only pitched for a total of 22.3 innings in which he gave up 29 earned runs, 17 walks, 10 home-runs and only striking out 19. The walks are nothing new for Burnett, but before this blow he had improved that figure.

Are AJ Burnett’s dreary days over now?

Hopefully as proved since Eiland’s reappearance. Eiland made a decisive effect as Burnett was back to his best in his last start. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees Leave It To AJ Burnett’ »

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Yankees Made The Red Sox Bleed Pinstripes Last Night

Posted by on 26 September 2009, 8:17 pm

The #4-train last night was packed full with Yankees and Red Sox fans heading to the Bronx. Expecting what looked to be the first game of a tough series for both the Red Sox and the Yankees. A forecast of what was to come on the road to the World Series.

Joba was the scheduled starter so as I got off the train at the stadium. I was rationalizing that this kid has faired very well against the Red Sox and Joba thrives off pressure.

Batting was going to play a huge part if the Yanks wanted to win. Joba has pitched so poorly lately that the likelihood of the bullpen having to go multiple innings was a realistic possibility.


Well, the game went on to be as positive for a team as the Yankees could have dreamt of the night before.

Reality set in for Joba after his last three innings, seven run disaster in Seattle. “Unacceptable” was the word that stuck from Manager Joe Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland to get this kid to wake-up. The Joba Rules were a now outdated and maybe the newfound freedom was the trick.

To sum it up:

• Joba pitched a solid six innings last night. Joba retired the first 11 Red Sox he faced. He was working quickly and his confidence was evident just by watching him.
• Yankees robbed a season high seven stolen bases. Most stolen by the team in 13 years.
• The bats all contributed in scoring nine runs with Jon Lester on the mound.
• Jeter started the game with a first pitch single and immediately stole second.

The Yankees looked like by far the more dominant ball-club. The Reds Sox looked like a team struggling to keep it. Big Pappi had his 27th homer which was about the only ray of hope displayed.

With the Red Sox being hot in pursuit to get into the playoffs, I thought that the battle would have been a war. The team fell apart fast but actually, Boston never really had their act together in the first place.

Nothing is set in stone for what the future holds but I can say that being a Yankee fan right now feels pretty darn good.

With the reality of perfection crushed the last two weeks by the staggering inconsistent play of the Bombers, fright definitely set in.

Taking the series in Anaheim was a battle in itself but maybe just the boost of confidence the team needed to not let the Angels egos get the best of them.

For a fan, I will believe because to win the World Series the part of the fans plays such a role that I think we all seem to forget sometimes.

Being at the game last night the only thing that bests describes the outcome is that the Boston Red Sox bleed pinstripes last night.

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