A.J. Burnett arrived in Florida as a central piece of the 1998 trade that sent Al Leiter to the Mets, bringing a high-octane fastball and a curveball that became a nightmare for hitters. During his seven-season run with the club, he emerged as a powerful yet erratic force in the rotation, often balancing flashes of absolute brilliance with a struggle for command.
After bouncing between the minors and the big leagues during his first two seasons, Burnett demonstrated his ceiling on May 12, 2001, by tossing a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. It remains one of the strangest performances in baseball history, as he secured the feat despite issuing nine walks.
During the 2002 season, he authored a campaign that led the major leagues with five shutouts. He demonstrated complete mastery of the strike zone at times, earning 12 wins and 203 strikeouts while allowing only 6.7 hits per nine innings. Although the Marlins won the World Series in 2003, Burnett faced a major setback that October; he was sidelined for the entire season after Tommy John surgery, watching the championship from the dugout as he focused on a prolonged recovery.
In 2005, he enjoyed a durable farewell campaign, logging 209 innings and striking out 198 batters with a 3.44 ERA. He proved he was fully recovered from surgery, though his tenure ended with a tactical exit as he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays as a free agent following the season. He posted a 49-50 record with 753 Strikeouts and a 3.73 ERA with Florida.
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