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Photo provided by Eddie Provident \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto provided by Eddie Provident \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
PITTSBURGH \u2014 A.J. Burnett\u2019s visits with the Pirates are starting to become a regular occurrence.<\/p>\n
After spending some time with the club during spring training, Burnett returned to PNC Park to throw out a ceremonial first pitch ahead of Friday night\u2019s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. <\/p>\n
Burnett is happy to be back in the city and the ballpark he called home for three years.<\/p>\n
\u201cMan, it\u2019s great,\u201d he said. \u201cFlew in this morning with [sons A.J. and Ashton], and seeing all the guys in the clubhouse and actually walking in the stadium from the hotel, it just brings back everything. I had every hair on my body standing up on my walk over here. And the greetings from everybody is great. You see them left and right. They don\u2019t leave me alone. It\u2019s awesome so far.\u201d<\/p>\n
Burnett became a fan favorite during his time with the Pirates after he was acquired from the New York Yankees prior to the 2012 season. The right-hander went 16-10 with a 3.51 ERA during his first year in Pittsburgh and helped lead the Pirates to their first playoff appearance in two decades in 2013.<\/p>\n
After spending the 2014 season with the Philadelphia Phillies, Burnett returned to the Pirates for one final year and was named an All-Star for the first time in his career. He ended his final season in the big leagues with a career-best 3.18 ERA. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great to see him back,\u201d manager Don Kelly said before Friday\u2019s game. \u201cWe\u2019ve talked about what he means to Pittsburgh, what he meant to those \u201913 and \u201915 teams.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to throwing out the first pitch on Friday, Burnett will help celebrate the launch of the new City Connect uniforms, which the Pirates are debuting in their game against the Rays.<\/p>\n
Burnett narrated and appeared in the video the Pirates released<\/a> when they unveiled the uniforms for the first time. <\/p>\n Fittingly, some fans have compared to new uniforms to Batman, Burnett\u2019s nickname that the city of Pittsburgh fully embraced during his time with the Pirates. The new uniforms have Burnett\u2019s stamp of approval.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I would have worn them every five days,\u201d Burnett said. \u201cI just think they\u2019re really sharp. Everything they did with them \u2014 black and gold inside, even a little red accent pops out. I think it\u2019s gorgeous.\u201d<\/p>\n In the hours leading up to his first pitch, Burnett contemplated what his strategy would be. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just debating if I should roll it there, so I don\u2019t bounce it,\u201d he joked. \u201cIf I roll it there the whole way, I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Burnett ended up skipping the pitch to former batter mate Michael McKenry, but the fans on hand gave him a roaring ovation when he was announced over the speakers in the stadium. It\u2019s been more than a decade since Burnett last stood on the PNC Park mound in a game, but the fanbase didn\u2019t miss a beat and showed him the same love they did when he played.<\/p>\n \u201cI got new life coming here, and a lot of it had to do with the city,\u201d Burnett said. \u201cLike I said before, you got a guy coming from New York who was iffy, was pretty good, was iffy. What are we going to get? None of that was there. It was just acceptance from day\u00a0one, and that just means the world to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMentioned in this article: A.J. Burnett<\/a> Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a> <\/p>\n