A.J. Burnett, Russell Martin reunite at PNC Park to throw 1st pitch for Pirates' home opener

In front of an expected sellout crowd at PNC Park for the home opener, the Pittsburgh Pirates paid homage to their 2013 team that advanced to the National League Divisional Series and ended a streak of 20 consecutive losing seasons.

Former battery mates A.J. Burnett and Russell Martin reunited for the ceremonial first pitch before Friday afternoon’s game against the Chicago White Sox. Burnett delivered a strike.

They played key roles in elevating the Pirates to three straight postseason appearances from 2013-15. Burnett played in Pittsburgh from 2012-13 and again in 2015, and Martin spent 2013-14 with the team.

While both players’ tenures in Pittsburgh were brief, the memories they made in the city, especially having helped revive a long-struggling franchise, are rich.

“I played in L.A., played in New York, played in Toronto, but just the clubhouse that we had in Pittsburgh was special,” Martin said.

In 87 starts as a Pirate, Burnett went 35-28 with a 3.34 ERA. Martin forever endeared himself to the fan base in Pittsburgh with his two-homer performance against Cincinnati in the 2013 NL wild-card game.

Burnett watched that game from the dugout, with Francisco Liriano getting the start, but the atmosphere created by the 40,487 fans at PNC Park remains an unforgettable moment in his career.

“To have the city come out like that and do what they did — ain’t no way we were going to (lose),” Burnett said. “I mean, there’s just no possible way.”

Burnett was known for complementing a fastball routinely clocked in the upper-90s with a knee-buckling knuckle curveball. He joked that Martin forbade him from throwing anything off speed Friday.

The Pirates honored Burnett and Martin as they took the field with individual highlights from their time in Pittsburgh, shown on their newly upgraded scoreboard.