BOSTON – It has come to this for the Red Sox: They will put their season in the hands of a 38-year-old journeyman who has never beaten the Yankees.
“Here we go, Burky,” Jason Varitek said. “That’s all I can say.”
There’s not much else to say, really, as veteran John Burkett readies himself to save or sink the Sox.
While many figured that Pedro Martinez would pitch on three days rest or Tim Wakefield would take the mound on just one day rest, Sox skipper Grady Little is sticking with Burkett – just as he did vs. Oakland in Game 4 of the ALDS.
That day, Burkett was decent, allowing four runs in 51/3 innings as the Sox staved off elimination. And make no mistake – while Wakefield probably will be available in relief today, the Sox are counting on Burkett to pitch, and pitch well, to have a chance.
“I’m going to pitch the way I’ve always pitched and hope it’s good enough,” he said.
One thing Burkett doesn’t want to hear about is his lifetime struggles against the Yankees. In fact, when a reporter began a question yesterday by referring to statistics in general, Burkett covered his ears, grinned and asked, “Are you going to throw some numbers at me that I don’t want to hear?”
Unfortunately, yes. Here’s the lowdown – in Burkett’s career, he’s 0-6 with an 8.49 ERA against the Yankees. Optimists, however, simply point to his most recent outing against them, when he threw 52/3 shutout innings on July 26.
Burkett, meanwhile, won’t point to either. As he said, every game changes the momentum.
“I really don’t put any weight on [the stats],” he said. “It’s going to be a situation where, to me, every time you go out there, you have a chance to pitch a great game. That’s how I look at it.”
Said Johnny Damon: “He is a veteran and he knows how to pitch. His big thing is, he has to stay away from the big inning. He’s been pretty effective all year long. It seems like one inning is what normally gets him. So we’re looking for good things out of him. If not, we’re going home early.”