BRADENTON, Fla. — This season will be the 16th and final season of A.J. Burnett's stellar career, and he isn't looking to wax nostalgia as he plays the final games.
Burnett has done just about everything you can do as a pitcher in baseball. He has a no-hitter to his credit he's lead the American League in strikeouts and the National League in shutouts at different points in his career.
He has also been a World Champion, but he wants one more shot at the brass ring, and he wants to do that as a Pirate.
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"If not, we are here for the wrong reasons," Burnett said. "I mean, I know the young guys want the contracts and you want to take care of yourself and your families. You want to be stable, you want to play this game for a long time, but I mean the bottom line is, we want to win the championship."
To win a World Series title, the Pirates would be playing in late October. Something Burnett, who is 38, says he thinks he can do. Burnett says he believes he still has plenty left in his tank to contribute to a championship run.
"Everything's in here, man. I got enough -- I know that," Burnett told Channel 11's Bill Phillips. "Even coming in this locker room and being out here, you get a little more energy."
That fire is something Burnett, a 155-game winner, wants to keep burning. So it is business as usual for the right-hander.
"I'm no Derek Jeter, no Cal Ripken -- I don't need no tour. So let’s just play ball," Burnett said.
The only tour he wants is one of the 2015 postseason.
"That's it. All I want is a ring to say goodbye. Give me that as a gift," Burnett said.
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