BALTIMORE -- A.J. Burnett has what he calls "Keller days" with Jim Trdinich, the Pirates' longtime public relations head and now team historian. Burnett reaches out to make sure Mitch Keller is pitching that day, and Trdinich will text him to let him know what's happening.
"He keeps me informed," Burnett said before the Pirates and Orioles started their weekend series at Camden Yards Friday.
Burnett and Keller became friends and texted often over the past year, with Burnett declaring himself "a Keller fan" before throwing out the first pitch at the home opener last month. But the pitcher Pirates fans called "Batman" never got to watch in person the player most fans are calling the team's ace.
That was until Sunday, and he picked a doozy to watch as Keller set a new career-high with 13 strikeouts in the Pirates' 4-0 win.
Keller didn't know Burnett was coming before the series started. The two caught up again Friday during the pregame, and they did again Sunday after Keller's gem.
"He said, ‘I finally got to watch you pitch,’" Keller said. "I was like, ‘Well, hopefully I gave you a good one to watch.’ It was cool."
“He’s a good kid," Burnett said Friday. "He’s got a huge ceiling above him. You like to see guys like that do well, especially when you know they can.”
Burnett reached out to clear it with Derek Shelton before the series, in large part because he wanted to watch Keller. Shelton wasn't going to deny him.
"I think that fires me up the most," Shelton said. "This is a guy that’s a former Pirate. It means a lot to the organization. But the fact that he wanted to come in and watch Mitch pitch, that was what his text was. It was a little more colorful than that."
As the media walked into the clubhouse postgame, Burnett was standing to the side having just talked to Keller. I asked if it was worth the wait to see him in person.
It "definitely" was.
