Brock Burke, “embarrassed” after door-slamming incident, returns to Texas Rangers bullpen

LOS ANGELES — His hand is restored. Next: his reputation.

Two months after breaking his hand while banging on a clubhouse door in frustration over a poor run earlier in the season, left-hander Brock Burke returned for another chance in the Rangers’ bullpen, replacing Grant Anderson, who was sent to Triple-A Round Rock after being given four home runs in less than an inning by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

One could say that the Rangers ultimately preferred the beater to the beaten.

Burke had not been in the Rangers’ locker room since he collided with a door in Houston in April. He had allowed three hits and four runs, including a two-run hit by left-hander Kyle Tucker. He threw his glove at a locker room door and then swung. His right pinky took the brunt of the blow, and he suffered a “boxer’s fracture” of the pinky that required surgery.

Instead of staying with the team, he was sent to the team’s spring training facility in Arizona to rehab his injury and spent the last three weeks on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Round Rock. It was clear that the Rangers weren’t happy with the situation. And they shouldn’t have been. And, quite frankly, neither was Burke.

“I was pretty frustrated, embarrassed and had a whole range of emotions,” Burke said. “It was the worst day of my career. I knew what I had done to the team. There were a lot of people who had a lot of reasons to be unhappy with me. I know they were frustrated with me. But I owe this team a lot more than I contributed.”

After the incident, Burke called manager Bruce Bochy and pitching coach Mike Maddux. He showed nothing but remorse.

“He understands that it wasn’t the wisest decision,” Bochy said. “It cost him some time.”

In terms of his value, things may have been more even than Burke suggests. In 2022 and much of 2023, he was an effective and durable multi-inning reliever. He could often be trusted in the sixth and/or seventh innings.

Right now, the Rangers could use another left-handed reliever to back up rookie Jacob Latz. And they could definitely use a few more reliable options in the sixth and seventh innings. Hey, right now, they could use a lot of things. In case you haven’t noticed because you’ve been following the Mavericks in the middle of Rangers games, the sixth and seventh innings have been big problems for this team.

The Rangers, who came into Wednesday’s game with a total point differential of zero runs, were outscored by 40 runs in those two innings. The Dodgers beat the Rangers 8-1 in the sixth and seventh innings on Tuesday after hitting four home runs off Anderson in the sixth. Well, see, the problem in those innings wasn’t just the bullpen. Maybe you’ve heard: The offense is struggling a bit. It doesn’t matter which inning we’re talking about.

The two-month exile also gave Burke plenty of time to kill. It’s funny what kids do with their computers these days. He put down the video games to look at some numbers, especially how often he threw his four-seam fastball. It’s a good fastball, averaging 96 miles per hour, and it’s made even better by the elite extension that lets it play a little higher. But nobody can get away with just one pitch. And that’s exactly what Burke was trying to do.

From the start of 2023 until his encounter with the door, Burke threw his four-seam fastball 64.9% of the time, the third-highest percentage in the major leagues. In 2022, he threw his changeup and slider 33% of the time. Since the start of last year: 28%. That tipped the balance in favor of hitters moving forward.

“Aroldis Chapman was throwing 100 miles an hour and even he didn’t throw as many fastballs as I did,” Burke said. “I have to get back to being a pitcher and not just a thrower. The hitters knew every time I threw a fastball. I had to keep them off the fastball. I let myself get outdone. I wanted to hit the guys with my fastball even when I didn’t have to.”

It’s confidence. If the two months away have made Burke more confident and therefore more effective, the same can be said for him and the Rangers. It’s not too late for either of them to save their season.

Twitter: @Evan_P_Grant

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