NEW YORK -- A.J. Burnett made 33 starts and won 13 games for the New York Yankees this season.
He also took his shaving cream pie in the face post-game ritual with him when he left the Blue Jays. In all, he delivered 17 pies in the face this season after walkoff wins.
The way he pitched last night, he should have loaded up a towel full of shaving cream and applied one to himself.
Burnett pitched seven impressive innings, getting his Yanks on even ground with a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies before 50,181 fans in Game 2 of the 105th World Series. The best-of-seven set is tied 1-1 as it moves to Philly.
"This means a lot. I wanted to set the tone after last night," said Burnett, who watched Cliff Lee and the Phillies take the series opener 6-1 on Wednesday night.
"I threw first-pitch strikes and was able to expand the zone. I watched Cliff Lee's interview on the field and he talked about confidence. He was like a man amongst boys. I took the same confidence out there.
"Tonight, my curve was on. When I can throw it for strikes it makes a difference," Burnett added. "I wanted to attack, feed off the crowd, come out with some fire. I didn't want to be calm."
Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui hit solo homers off Pedro Martinez, the loser, a day after he proclaimed: "I might be the most influential player that ever played at Yankee Stadium."
Martinez was booed off the mound in the seventh, leaving two aboard and his Phillies down 2-1. He even seemed to enjoy the walk, pointing to the sky, strolling slowly and smiling at a man who was cussing at him, with his daughter alongside him.
'I'D BE KING'
"If I was a Yankee, I'd be king over here," Martinez said.
Pinch-hitter Jorge Posada then greeted Chan Ho Park with a run-scoring single to complete he scoring.
Martinez didn't throw that poorly -- three runs in six-plus innings with eight strikeouts -- but he was outpitched by Burnett, who had given up four runs to the Los Angeles Angels on the first 12 pitches of his previous start.
"I don't seeing them beating us too often with only three runs," said Martinez, who admitted he was under the weather the past two days.
Burnett allowed one run, which could have been ruled an error to Alex Rodriguez, two doubles, two singles and struck out nine.
Manager Joe Girardi wasn't messing around with either Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes on this night. On came Mariano Rivera for the final six outs.
Rivera now has 14 six-out saves. All other closers since 1996? A combined total of 11.
The Yankees closer did find himself in a jam in the eighth, walking Jimmy Rollins and allowing a single to Shane Victorino, before Chase Utley's hard smash was turned into a 4-6-3 double play.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel gave a lengthy explanation as to why he didn't start the runners and, moments later, added: "Besides, Utley was safe. I'm not saying anything bad about the umps, but Utley was safe."
Raul Ibanez doubled with two out in the ninth, but Rivera struck out Fredericton's Matt Stairs to end it.
BOB.ELLIOTT@SUNMEDIA.CA
