Happy Birthday A.J. Burnett

A.J. Burnett turns 41 today.

A.J. has had a pretty nice career, 17 seasons, 164-157 record, with a 3.99 ERA in 435 games, 430 starts. He started his career with the Marlins, played there for 7 seasons, had a 49-50 record with a 3.73 ERA

Then, in the winter before the 2005 season, J.P. Ricciardi signed A.J. to a 5-year, $55 million contract, that included a rather famous opt out cause, that came up after the third season.

Burnett was very good with us (when he wasn't injured), making a nice 1-2 top of the rotation with Roy Halladay. He went 38-26 with a 3.94 ERA in 80 starts. His best season, working out very nicely for him, was the 3rd year of the contract, when he went 18-10 with a 4.07 ERA in 34 starts, going 221 innings.

Surprising no one, except maybe a couple of Toronto beat writers, Burnett choose to opt out. Some writers thought that he shouldn't want to be a number 1 starter somewhere else, he should be happier in Toronto being the number 2 guy to Doc, never mind the extra money he could get.

He signed a 5-year, $82.5 million contract with the Yankees. I couldn't blame him in the least for taking more money, but I did very much enjoy when the Jays, behind the pitching of Doc beat the Yankees 5-1, on May 12, 2009. Halladay pitched a complete game, allowing just 5 hits. Burnett wasn't terrible, 7.2, 7 hits, 5 earned, 4 walks and 7 strikeouts (he also had a win and a no-decision against us that year).

I'll admit, I loved every time we beat him (but then I love every time we beat the Yankees no matter who is pitching). I even remember us laying a beating on him in spring training, the year I went to Dunedin to watch some games, and very much enjoying that.

In all, against the Jays, he was 3-5, with a 5.94 ERA in 11 starts.

Burnett didn't have a great time with the Yankees, going 34-35 with a 4.70 ERA. The Yankees traded him to the Pirates, after his 3rd season (and his second in a row with an ERA north of 5). They didn't get much for him (and the pile of cash they sent along with him), they just wanted to be rid of him. He did get a World Series ring with the Yankees, but it turned out to be a pretty good thing that he left us for New York.

With the Pirates, he reestablished himself as one of the better pitchers in baseball, going 16-10 with a 3.51 ERA in 31 starts in 2012. In 3 seasons as a Pirate (with one poor season with Philadelphia mix breaking up the 3 seasons) he was 35-28 with a 3.34 ERA.

Happy Birthday AJ. I hope it is a good one and I hope you are enjoying your retirement.

It is also Luis Sojo's birthday, he turns 53 today. He spent 2 seasons of a 13 year career with the Jays, not getting much playing time, hitting .205/.255/.268 in 52 games. Most of his career was with the Yankees.

And Gary Lavelle turns 69 today. Gary spent 2 seasons, of his 13 year career, with the Blue Jays. With the Jays, he had one good year, 3.10 ERA, 8 saves in 72.2 innings, and one bad year 5.53 ERA, 1 save in 27.2 innings before getting his release in August. That was pretty much (other than 4 innings with the A's) the end of his career. He had a pretty good one. He was a good lefty reliever, spending most of it with the Giants, often pitching 70 games or more and over 100 innings in a season.

Happy Birthday to all three.