John David Burkett (born November 28, 1964) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He compiled 166 wins against 136 losses, 1,766 strikeouts, and a 4.31 earned run average. He pitched from 1987 to 2003, with the San Francisco Giants, Florida Marlins, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. Burkett is also a professional bowler currently competing on the PBA50 Tour. Baseball career After pitching for Beaver High School in Beaver, Pennsylvania, Burkett was drafted in the sixth round of the 1983 Amateur Baseball Draft by the San Francisco Giants. Burkett made his debut for the Giants late in the 1987 season, and pitched six innings in the majors. He was returned to the minors, where he remained for the next two years. His first full season for the Giants was 1990, during which he went 14–7 with a 3.79 ERA in 204 innings. On September 4, 1990, Burkett picked up his one and only save at the major league level. He pitched 3 shutout innings to close out a 6–4 Giants victory over the Padres, saving the game for starting pitcher Mike LaCoss. Burkett's best season came in 1993 when he went 22–7 with a 3.65 ERA for the Giants. Burkett was a National League All-Star in 1993, his 22 wins led the major leagues, and he finished fourth in the NL Cy Young Award voting. His 1996 postseason complete game win for the Texas Rangers over the eventual World Series Champion New York Yankees was the first complete game in Divisional Series history. It was the first postseason game, and therefore the first postseason win, in Rangers history. Their second postseason win was not until 2010. After being released in Spring Training by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2000, he was picked up by the Atlanta Braves and resurrected a career thought by many to be over. His 3.04 ERA ranked third in all of MLB for 2001, he struck out a career-high 187 batters, and he was selected for his second NL All-Star Game that season. Despite the Braves winning their division that season, poor run support in Burkett's starts led to a modest 12–12 record. Burkett won Game 3 of the 2001 NL Divisional Series against the Houston Astros, allowing two runs in innings. He was given the nickname "Sheets" during his days with the Atlanta Braves because of his betting and organizing