A.J. Burnett was a P who played for the New York Yankees from 2009-2011. Career stats: 34-35 record, 4.79 ERA, 513 strikeouts.
A.J. Burnett pitched for the New York Yankees from 2009 to 2011, signing a 5-year, $82.5 million free agent deal that December and immediately becoming the most unpredictable arm in the rotation. He won two of the biggest starts of the 2009 World Series run, including the Game 2 gem that evened the Series against Philadelphia. He also, somewhat more memorably for casual fans, started the tradition of smashing a whipped-cream pie into the face of whichever teammate delivered a walk-off hit. Both things are true. That's the whole Burnett experience in a nutshell.
Path to the Bronx
Burnett arrived with a résumé built on swing-and-miss stuff and a stubborn inability to find the strike zone consistently. He'd thrown a no-hitter for the Marlins back in 2001 (in which he walked nine batters, because of course he did), then rebuilt himself in Toronto into a legitimate ace -- 2008 was his best platform year, 18-10 with a 4.07 ERA, leading the American League in strikeouts with 231. The Yankees signed him that December, days after locking up CC Sabathia, as the second half of a two-man plan to fix a rotation that had missed the playoffs in 2008 for the first time since 1993.
It worked, for one season. Then it didn't, for two more.
Yankees Career
| Yankees Record | 34-35 |
| ERA (NYY) | 4.79 |
| Strikeouts (NYY) | 513 |
| Innings Pitched (NYY) | 584.0 |
| WHIP (NYY) | 1.45 |
| 2009 Regular Season | 13-9, 4.04 ERA |
| Postseason (NYY) | 2-2, 5.08 ERA |
| World Series Titles | 1 (2009) |
The 2009 season is the one that justified the contract. Burnett went 13-9 with a 4.04 ERA in the regular season (leading the AL in walks with 97, because command was never going to just go away), then turned in the best month of his Yankees career in October. In World Series Game 2 at the new Stadium, he outdueled Pedro Martinez -- seven innings, one run, nine strikeouts -- in a 3-1 win that evened the Series 1-1 after Sabathia and the Yankees had watched Cliff Lee throw a Game 1 complete game that made Philadelphia look unbeatable. Without that Game 2 start, there's a real argument the Yankees don't recover.
If you take the last three innings in Seattle, and the first three innings against Minnesota, we need to put that together -- that's what you want.
That quote from Girardi says everything about the next two years. Burnett's stuff never left -- the mid-90s sinker and the knuckle-curve were still freakin' nasty on a given night. The command did, repeatedly, and in front of a fanbase with zero patience for it. He went 10-15 with a 5.26 ERA in 2010, one of the worst ERAs among AL qualifiers that season, capped by a July night where he cut up his hands slamming a clubhouse door in frustration and then lied to trainers about how it happened. He went 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA in 2011, though he still had one good playoff start left in him -- 5.2 innings, one run, in the "I Believe in A.J." win over Detroit in ALDS Game 4 that forced a decisive Game 5 (the Yankees lost it anyway, because 2011 was that kind of year).
The Pie Guy
Here's the part of the Burnett file that outlived the ERA. Sometime during that 2009 season, Burnett started ambushing walk-off heroes during their postgame TV interviews with a hand towel loaded with whipped cream, smashed straight into the face on live television. It happened roughly ten times that year -- Nick Swisher got hit more than once, Mark Teixeira got one too -- and it turned into the signature bit of that championship clubhouse. Burnett was the Yankees' official Pie Guy right up until he left. When he got traded to Pittsburgh, he took the habit with him personally, and Swisher inherited the job in the Bronx. (A guy who couldn't find the strike zone to save his life somehow never missed with a pie. Make of that what you will.)
Key Moments
Signs with the Yankees
Burnett agrees to a 5-year, $82.5 million contract, days after CC Sabathia commits to the Yankees. The two are introduced together at a joint press conference on December 18.
World Series Game 2
Burnett outduels Pedro Martinez -- 7 IP, 1 ER, 9 K -- in a 3-1 win that evens the World Series 1-1 after Cliff Lee's Game 1 complete game.
The Clubhouse Door
After a rough start against Tampa Bay, Burnett cuts up his hands slamming a clubhouse door in frustration, then initially lies to trainers about how it happened.
'I Believe in A.J.'
With the Yankees down 2-1 in the ALDS, Burnett throws 5.2 innings of one-run ball in a 10-1 win over Detroit to force a decisive Game 5 (which the Yankees lose).
Traded to Pittsburgh
The Yankees deal Burnett to the Pirates, paying down most of the money left on his contract just to clear him off the roster.
What He Left Behind
The Yankees traded Burnett to the Pittsburgh Pirates in February 2012, eating the majority of what was left on his deal just to move him. He found something closer to consistency there -- and, in a plot twist nobody saw coming, made his only career All-Star team in 2015 at age 38, in his final MLB season. Looking back at his Yankees run, Burnett didn't dodge the truth of it.
I had my good times there... I don't regret it at all... I regret not performing better.
That's fair. The ring is real. The Game 2 start is real. So is the 5.26 ERA and the door he put his hand through. Burnett gave the Yankees exactly one great year out of three, and he made sure everyone in that clubhouse got a pie in the face to remember it by.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was A.J. Burnett's record with the Yankees?
A.J. Burnett went 34-35 with a 4.79 ERA across three seasons (2009-2011) with the Yankees, striking out 513 batters over 584.0 innings. His best season by far was 2009, when he went 13-9 with a 4.04 ERA.
Did A.J. Burnett win a World Series with the Yankees?
Yes. Burnett won a championship with the Yankees in 2009, starting and winning World Series Game 2 against the Phillies (7 IP, 1 ER, 9 K) to even the Series 1-1, and also starting Game 5. The Yankees won the Series in six games for their 27th title.
Why is A.J. Burnett known for the pie in the face?
Burnett started the Yankees' tradition of smashing a whipped-cream-loaded towel into the face of that game's walk-off hero during postgame TV interviews, beginning in 2009. He was the club's unofficial "Pie Guy" through 2011, and Nick Swisher took over pie duties after Burnett was traded.
Why did the Yankees trade A.J. Burnett?
After back-to-back rough seasons in 2010 and 2011 (a combined 21-26 with an ERA over 5.00 each year), the Yankees traded Burnett to the Pittsburgh Pirates in February 2012, paying down most of the money left on his contract just to clear him off the roster.
Was A.J. Burnett an All-Star with the Yankees?
No. Burnett was never an All-Star during his Yankees tenure. His only career All-Star selection came in 2015 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, at age 38, in his final MLB season.
Career Stats
Regular Season
| Year | G | GS | W | L | SV | IP | H | ER | K | BB | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 33 | 33 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 207.0 | 193 | 93 | 195 | 97 | 4.04 | 1.40 |
| 2010 | 33 | 33 | 10 | 15 | 0 | 186.2 | 204 | 109 | 145 | 78 | 5.26 | 1.51 |
| 2011 | 34 | 32 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 190.1 | 190 | 109 | 173 | 83 | 5.15 | 1.43 |
| Career | 100 | 98 | 34 | 35 | 0 | 584.0 | 587 | 311 | 513 | 258 | 4.79 | 1.45 |
Career-best seasons highlighted in gold. Stats via Retrosheet.
Postseason
| Year | G | GS | W | L | SV | IP | H | ER | K | BB | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 5 | -- | 1 | 1 | 0 | 27.1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5.27 | -- |
| 2010 | 1 | -- | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7.50 | -- |
| 2011 | 1 | -- | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1.59 | -- |
| Career | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 39.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |