Against Padres, Burke Has All the Right Moves

Montreal Expo reliever Tim Burke knows he has an odd delivery, but he is not about to make any changes.

Burke pitched the final three innings of the Expos’ 2-1 victory over the Padres Sunday, earning his fourth save of the season.

But what makes Burke so interesting is the way he begins his pitching motion. Even he can’t describe it.

“Guys make fun of it all the time,” Burke said. “I look at it and I know it looks stupid, but it works. So what am I supposed to do?”

Said Montreal pitching coach Larry Bearnarth: “He has that little thing at the start that starts the whole delivery in motion.”

That “little thing” is a flip of his glove hand, with the ball inside the glove, out in front of his body. Then he brings his glove waist-high and touches the ball for the first time during the motion. The rest of his motion is similar to that of most pitchers.

Montreal Manager Buck Rodgers developed the delivery for Burke in 1984 when both were at the Expos’ Triple-A club at Indianapolis. Rodgers said Burke, who got off to an 0-4 start in 1984, was “too lethargic” in his delivery.

“I thought he had to get more aggressive,” Rodgers said. “He picked up the motion right away and he liked it and got results.”

Burke finished the season at 11-8.

Bearnarth, who was the Expos’ traveling pitching coach at the time, said: “I couldn’t believe it was the same guy. I had seen him when he had his old delivery. Then after he changed his motion, he was much more aggressive on the mound.”

Said Burke: “Buck changed my mental outlook on the game. It was a matter of making me more aggressive. When I sped up my windup, it made me take the form of the stupid windup I have now.”

Burke said that although he does not get a grip on the ball before winding up, he can place the ball in his glove with the seams adjusted for his chosen pitch.

“I’ll walk around the mound, bouncing the ball in my glove,” he said. “I’ll get the seams lined up for the pitch I want.”

Tim Raines just shook his head when asked about Burke’s delivery.

“It’s sort of awkward, the way he keeps the ball in his glove until he starts his delivery,” Raines said. “He has great control and keeps the ball down.”

Said Tony Gywnn, who grounded out and struck out Sunday against Burke: “If you are a good hitter, you don’t pay attention to a pitcher’s motion. You can get caught looking at a guy winding up, it can throw you off. But to tell you the truth, I don’t even look to see what he does.”

Burke, whose parents live in Bonsall, missed the final 3 1/2 weeks of last season because of tendinitis in his right (pitching) shoulder. He finished the season at 9-7 with a 2.93 earned-run average.

This season, he missed the first 2 1/2 weeks because of tendinitis in his right elbow.

After Sunday’s game, Burke had his elbow and shoulder wrapped in ice.

“I haven’t pitched in seven days, but I felt real good,” he said. “This was the first time this year that when I wanted to reach back for something extra, I had it.”

“I’m confident with this delivery. If I keep within myself and my mechanics, and stay decent, I’ll stay with this; anything that seems comfortable.”