A.J. Burnett returned to PNC Park on April 17 and threw out the first pitch before the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1. The former Pirates right-hander was back to help unveil the club’s new City Connect jerseys, which the team wore for the first time in the win.
For Burnett, the night tied the present to a stretch that still matters in Pittsburgh. He spent three seasons with the Pirates in 2012, 2013 and 2015, made two playoff appearances and helped bring winning baseball back after 20 straight losing seasons. The Pirates have not reached the postseason since 2015, and since then they have had only one season with a winning percentage above.500.
That history gave extra weight to a club that is suddenly playing like a contender again. Pittsburgh was 12-8 through its first 20 games of the 2026 season and tied for the lead in the National League Central Division after taking two of three games on the road against the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs and sweeping the Baltimore Orioles in its first home series. A fast start is exactly the kind of thing Burnett said can change the mood around a team. “Anytime you can start off hot, win ball games, it’s only going to help,” he said.
Burnett had already been around the organization earlier in spring training, when he helped mentor the Pirates pitching staff. He said the energy around the clubhouse feels different now, even compared with that visit. “I expected it from the new guys I met coming in, and the ones I already knew, I have not been here in the past couple, I told you all that, but the vibe in there is different, even from my visit in spring,” Burnett said.
The contrast is what makes this moment matter for Pittsburgh. Burnett was part of the teams that ended the long losing run and pushed the franchise into October twice, but the Pirates have spent nearly a decade trying to get back to that level. Now they are off to their best kind of start, with Burnett back in the ballpark to watch a club trying to turn a strong April into something bigger.
