CHICAGO -- Sean Burke took to the Dodger Stadium mound in the second inning of a contest on July 2 and allowed one run over the next six innings. That one run came on the first pitch he threw to Andy Pages.
It was a great effort by the White Sox right-hander, but with no offense to Burke, it will be a future footnote to Clayton Kershaw recording his 3,000th career strikeout on his last pitch of the night to Vinny Capra.
Burke understands. In fact, he congratulated Kershaw on the field after the Dodgers had rallied for victory.
“I was outside with one of my dad’s buddies, who lives out in L.A. now,” Burke told MLB.com prior to Toronto’s 6-1, rain-shortened six-inning victory Tuesday at Rate Field. “He was at the game. I was out there talking to him on the field after the game really quick, and Kershaw was kind of right there.”
“He had said earlier, ‘I’m sorry for icing you in between innings, when they had the whole ceremony,’” Burke added. “I said, ‘You’re good. I wanted to make sure you kind of had your moment.’ It was such an incredible feat to accomplish. So me having to wait an extra five minutes to throw, I have enough respect to let him have that moment.”
Quite a bit of celebration followed Kershaw’s slider for the called third strike to Capra. There was a video tribute, standing ovations and a curtain call. That joy among 53,536 raucous people left Burke waiting to start the bottom of the sixth.
As the 25-year-old said, he didn’t mind. Burke appreciated being part of that night as much as he appreciated Kershaw joking about icing him.
“That was awesome,” Burke said. “Fenway Park is always going to be special because I grew up going there. It’s also one of the better environments. Nothing can beat a packed crowd here at home. But against one of the best teams in the league, at their place, in a week when they have that special moment for one of their best players ever, it’s cool.
“Basically, I talked to him really quick and just said congratulations and talked about the game. I thought he threw the ball well. He said, ‘Nice job. Keep going. Good luck in the future.’”
At some point, Burke and his White Sox crew want to be in the same position as Kershaw and the Dodgers. Not specifically the 3,000 strikeouts, although that total would represent a long career for Burke, who currently sits at 97 strikeouts overall in his second season.
The White Sox slipped to a season-worst 30-62 with their third straight loss and second straight to the Blue Jays, who have won 10 straight. Josh Rojas’ home run highlighted the night.
Young players such as Burke play featured roles across the roster, learning from their mistakes as well as their on-field successes. More controllable talent soon will be coming through the Draft and as the July 31 Trade Deadline approaches.
It’s not meant as an excuse for the shortcomings. There’s clearly more work to do for a team having lost 183 times over two seasons, which general manager Chris Getz admitted on Monday. It’s just fact.
Colson Montgomery, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 5 White Sox prospect and No. 95 overall, picked up his first career hit in Chicago with a single off Chris Bassitt in the second. He also committed his first Major League error at shortstop. At this point in the development, they serve a similar purpose.
“This is what it is and it’s how you handle it and get back on track and get back focused on the things you need to do to win and be productive,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “We’ve also seen our experience in one-run games, we think that that’s going to be something that will serve us well.
“All these experiences help lay the foundation. It’s about what you do with them and how you deal with these, that’s what we’re focused on and trying to come out of it a little bit better than when we got into it.”
Maybe that transformation happens at some point in 2026. It might take longer. But White Sox players such as Burke notice a positive change.
“Our team is getting better. Guys are getting more comfortable playing here,” Burke said. “You see a bunch of us at some point have some struggles and deal with adjustments and get better the next time out or over the next stretch.
“Obviously you will have your bad games. But it's important to get that learning experience out of the way now so you can hopefully avoid those in the future.”