Even the Cincinnati Reds were among those standing for A.J. Burnett as he made his final regular season start. Unfortunately for him, the Pittsburgh Pirates offered little run support in a 3-1 losing effort Saturday night.
Burnett’s [9-7] ovation came from 34,180 fans, a mark which allowed the Pirates to set a new single-season attendance record. Fans waved Batman flags and begged Burnett for a curtain call which he did. Burnett also acknowledged the Reds dugout as he came off the field.
“It was an emotional day, being around the family and kids getting ready,” Burnett said. “In my mind though we aren’t done yet. It was an unreal moment though, unreal.”
The night started with Burnett’s two sons, Ashton and A.J. Jr. throwing the first pitches of the game to Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker respectively.
Every time Burnett’s name so much as was shown on Jumbotron or spoken by public address announcer Tim DeBacco, fans wildly applauded the man they affectionately refer to as Batman.
The Reds scored two runs in the first inning, which ultimately is all they needed to win this game and avoid their first losing streak since 1937.
Eugenio Suarez recorded a one-out single to reach base and then a Burnett throwing error on a pickoff throw allowed him to advance to third base. Joey Votto grounded out to second base to score the run. Brandon Phillips then singled and he scored when Todd Frazier doubled, his first hit this series after going 0-for-6 in game one.
The Pirates scored their lone run in the first inning. Josh Harrison recorded a triple, his first since Aug. 29, 2014 and scored on a Gregory Polanco groundout.
Burnett retired 13 consecutive batters before allowing Adam Duvall to hit his fifth home run of the season.
Brandon Finnegan [2-2] started for the Reds and allowed two hits in the first inning and then allowed one other hit, a Harrison single in the third inning.
“We saw a lot of tape on him but today when the ball was down it sank very well and when it was up it had a lot of tail,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “He commanded three pitches tonight.”
Burnett was able to strike out nine batters, his second highest total this season [May 23] and went 6.2 innings, his longest outing since July 6 against the San Diego Padres.
Hurdle did take the ball after 107 pitches, his highest total since July 11 and after the game praised that his starting pitcher stayed true to himself going after people and showing aggression.
Jared Hughes was able to get a ground ball out to end the inning, as he got to follow Burnett.
“Early in the game when he was pitching, I was definitely thinking that if at any point he got in a jam, that I would be the guy to come in and get him out,” said Hughes. “He didn’t have much of a jam but I was really happy I was able to get out of it for him.”
Hughes’ mentality on the mound is very known, but even he had to break face to acknowledge Burnett.
“It’s hard not to be aware of what’s going on and things got very loud out there,” Hughes said. “I came in and everyone’s chanting A.J. name so we stepped out and gave him some claps. It was a special moment I’m glad to be a part of it.”
Bobby LaFromboise, Joe Blanton and Arquimedes Caminero combined to throw two scoreless innings.
Not wanting to take a chance at extending the losing streak, the Reds brought closer Aroldis Chapman in with two outs in the eighth inning and he earned the four-out save, his 33rd save of the season.
Though the loss put somewhat of a damper on the evening, Burnett said that he would remember it for the rest of his life.
“Best night of my career hands down, win or loss,” said Burnett.
The loss, coupled with the Chicago Cubs winning 1-0 against the Milwaukee Brewers meaning the Pirates lead for the top spot in the National League Wild Card race is down to one game. A tie after Sunday would result in the Cubs hosting Wednesday.
“This is what the season has presented us,” Hurdle said. “We look forward to playing our last regular season here at home, win a ballgame and move on.”
In the regular season finale, J.A. Happ [6-2 2.04 ERA] will pitch for the Pirates against Josh Smith [0-3 7.22 ERA]. Happ is 2-3 with a 6.25 ERA in seven career starts against the Reds.
Photo credit: Keith Srakocic/AP Photo
