Burnett helps Blue Jays pull even in Bronx
Hard-throwing right-hander blanks Yankees through 6 innings in 5-2 win to tie series
Last Updated: Thursday, April 3, 2008 | 4:19 AM ET
CBC Sports
A.J. Burnett missed time last season to injury and pitched part of spring training this year without a nail on his index finger, but had few problems with the New York Yankees lineup on Wednesday night.
The right-hander surrendered a two-run homer to Alex Rodriguez in the seventh inning but was otherwise stellar in a 5-2 victory by the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium.
Blue Jays' A.J. Burnett limited the Yankees to five hits in six-plus innings on Wednesday.
(Julie Jacobson/Associated Press)
Armed with a 96 m.p.h. fastball, Burnett scattered five hits over six-plus innings in his season debut and has won six of his last 11 starts dating back to last season.
"To come in here and pitch here at this place, with these fans and against this lineup, it's just a good ball game all around," said the oft-injured Burnett, who tweaked his left knee while making a throwing error on Derek Jeter's fourth-inning comebacker.
"We came out swinging the bats and I had some good defensive plays to help out."
The Blue Jays hurler didn't allow the leadoff man to reach base until Yankees outfielder Melky Cabrera singled to open the sixth inning. But after Johnny Damon popped out, Burnett got Jeter to ground into a double play.
In the seventh, he issued a five-pitch walk to Bobby Abreu, who scored six pitches later on Rodriguez's drive over the centre-field fence for his first homer of the season. Left-handed reliever Brian Tallet took over and retired the next three batters, striking out Jason Giambi and Robinson Cano.
Jays hurler has Yankees' number
Burnett has given the Yankees trouble before. He was 1-0 with a 0.60 earned-run average in two starts against them last year, allowing one run over 15 innings. He won 6-0 at Yankee Stadium on April 26.
"He's just a really good pitcher," Damon said. "We didn't see the best of him tonight. We've seen him better. He can really throw hard and he has a great breaking ball. He's a guy you have to get to early or you may not get to him at all."
New York threatened in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Jeremy Accardo — filling in for injured closer B.J. Ryan — retired Giambi, Rodriguez and Cano with Abreu and Jeter standing at first and second base for his first save.
"The first one is always tough, especially here. They're never out of it," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "But we threw an awful lot of pitching at 'em."
Vernon Wells went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer to lead Toronto, which tied the three-game series 1-1 despite grounding into five double plays. Alex Rios, Aaron Hill and Rod Barajas added two hits each.
After watching the Yankees score first Tuesday en route to a 3-2 win, the Blue Jays returned the favour against veteran righty Mike Mussina, who boasts a 23-12 mark in 42 career starts against Toronto.
Shortstop David Eckstein reached on a Giambi fielding error to begin the game and later scored on a Rios bloop single to right field.
Mussina exits trailing 4-0
Wells upped the Blue Jays lead to 3-0 with a two-run shot in the third inning before Hill chased Mussina in the sixth with a run-scoring single.
Mussina allowed eight hits and walked two in 5 2/3 innings to remain at 250 career victories, good for fourth among active pitchers.
"I felt good throwing the baseball," Mussina said. "I just made some mistakes and they took advantage of it."
Rios, who extended his hitting streak to 22 games against the Yankees with a first-inning single, plated Barajas to make it 5-0 in the sixth.
That was more than enough support for Burnett, who retired the side in the second inning on the way to his fourth win in seven lifetime starts versus New York.
Toronto's Dustin McGowan, suffering from the stomach flu, watched Wednesday's game from the team's hotel, but is expected to start Thursday against rookie Phil Hughes. Game time is 7:05 p.m. ET.
With files from the Associated Press
