A.J. Burnett will throw out 1st pitch to Russell Martin at Pirates home opener

Batman returns to the mound at PNC Park.

Former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett will throw out the ceremonial first pitch to catcher Russell Martin for the home opener against the Chicago White Sox on April 7.

The moment will reunite the battery as the Pirates celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their 94-win team that ended two decades of consecutive losing seasons by clinching a wild-card berth, where they beat the Cincinnati Reds, 6-2, to advance to the NL divisional round.

“It’s gonna be fun … unless he throws me a curveball,” said Martin, who retired last year after 14 seasons in the majors. “It’s probably gonna be in the dirt, I’m gonna have to block it, and I’m not ready for that.”

Burnett, who retired after the 2015 season, joked that he’s only in the fifth day of his throwing program but swore that he wasn’t going to throw a breaking pitch to his old battery mate.

“I ain’t picked up a ball in five years,” Burnett said. “I promise you that ball is going to get to home plate.”

Gotham, it's finally happening. So pumped and honored to throw out the first pitch on opening day in Pittsburgh! And who better to throw it to than my buddy, one of the best in the game, and a huge part of that playoff run @russellmartin55 ! LFG! #STFD #BUCN #LETSGOBUCS

— AJ Burnett (@wudeydo34) February 28, 2023

Burnett announced the news Tuesday on Twitter. Burnett and Martin both said they received invitations by phone from Pirates chairman Bob Nutting, who told Burnett, “A.J., I know the answer to this, but I’m going to ask it anyway.”

“That’s how he started it off with, but he offered to get me up there for Opening Day and then to come back home to where I belong to throw out the first pitch for Opening Day for our team and our city,” Burnett said by phone. “I told Bob I’d be honored to. I’ve been waiting for him to call me and tell me that. We chatted for a little bit longer. But, yeah, he reached out and I’m glad he did, man, because I’ve been itching to get back to that city.”

Burnett brought pizzazz to a young Pirates pitching staff, with his Batman image and shut-the-front-door mentality on the mound. He went 10-11 with a 3.30 ERA and led the Pirates in strikeouts (209) and innings pitched (191) in 2013.

“A.J. was one of my favorites,” said Martin, who played with Burnett on the Yankees and Pirates. “He’s just one of those guys who you kind of gravitate toward when you’re on the team with him. He’s one of those gladiator-type mentality guys when he’s on the bump. He gives everything he has. It was an honor to catch him, and being around him all year long in Pittsburgh was really, really fun.”

Martin provided the heroics in the wild-card win over Cincinnati. After Reds starter Johnny Cueto dropped the ball on the mound while Pirates fans taunted him with a sing-song call of his surname in the second inning, Martin blasted the next pitch for a home run.

“Honestly, I don’t know what to expect,” Martin said. “But I’ll always remember that Johnny Cueto, the fans chanting his name and him dropping the ball, the next pitch is over the fence. People are going crazy. I feel like I’m floating around the bases. It’s one of those moments where kind of like pinch yourselves afterwards like, ‘Did this really happen?’ It almost seems like it was scripted, right?

“I’ll never forget that wild-card game. Just the energy, the city, the people, the stadium. It was completely electric. That’s what you remember. You remember the emotions. It’s such a huge boost of adrenaline. All the emotions of that game, that’s what I remember.”

Burnett and Martin wished those Pirates had won more, believing they had the talent to win a World Series championship, but both cherish the memories and moments they made that season.

“We did something special there,” Burnett said, “and believe me, we all know it.”