Will the Real A.J. Burnett Please Show Up?
The Yankees were in an unfamiliar spot on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. They had lost the first game of the World Series they night before, dropping a 6-1 decision in Game One. Yankee fans everywhere were frightened to see the Bronx Bombers down 0-1 to a team like the Philadelphia Phillies. Even more frightening was the fact that the Yanks were sending the enigmatic A.J. Burnett to the mound, a mostly inconsistent number two starter with a 13-9 regular season record. The Yankees were unsure for most of the second half of the 2009 season which version of Burnett would show up to pitch: the good or the bad. Many even compared Burnett to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Burnett answered everyone by going out to the mound in Game Two dealing like he was playing blackjack in Vegas. He was able to adjust to the home plate umpire’s strike zone and eventually racked up nine strikeouts over seven innings of work. Not to mention the first 11 Phillies Burnett faced saw first-pitch strikes, indicating he was o
