CLEVELAND — Sean Burke took a deep dive into pitch planning while with Triple-A Charlotte.
“More so just simplify the plan and (having) everybody be on the same page with what we’re trying to do with everything and how we’re trying to start (hitters), how we’re trying to finish guys (and) different locations to get pitches to,” Burke told the Tribune on Friday afternoon at Progressive Field.
“That was kind of the main focus, just really understanding my plan and making sure everybody was on the same page with it. Getting feedback from different people and from there, it was about just going and working on it in a game.”
Burke went back to work on a major-league mound Wednesday at Rate Field after being recalled from Triple A earlier in the day. He took those lessons from the time with the Knights and put them to use against the Tampa Bay Rays.
“I really liked where all my stuff was at,” Burke said. “Having the two or three weeks to kind of focus on getting back and (the) feel with everything was nice. Now that I’m in a good spot with that, it’s about continuing to get ahead of guys and do everything I can to get guys out here.”
Burke allowed three runs on five hits with five strikeouts and four walks in 4 1/3 innings. Three of the four walks came in the second, when the Rays loaded the bases with no outs. Burke struck out Carson Williams and got Chandler Simpson to bounce into an ending-inning double play to escape the jam without allowing a run.
“Outside of that second inning, I really felt good the rest of the time I was out there,” Burke said. “Definitely I can build off of it and keep taking the positives from that and go forward with it.”
After the game, manager Wil Venable gave Burke credit for settling in after the bumpy inning.
“(It) starts (for Burke) with the fastball command, and I thought he did a nice job once those first couple innings were behind him,” Venable said.
Beyond the outing, Burke enjoyed being able to reconnect with teammates.
“I’ve missed these guys,” Burke said. “More so just hanging out with them every day and being with them. It’s been fun. I like being back in a big-league stadium, you get that environment back into it. It just makes the game more fun.”
White Sox starter Sean Burke delivers against the Rays on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, at Rate Field. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)
The right-hander’s next opportunity comes Monday as the scheduled starter for the series opener against the Baltimore Orioles at Rate Field. Burke, 25, enters the outing with a 4-10 record, 4.35 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 25 appearances (21 starts) this season.
“First and foremost, one of my biggest goals coming into this year was to be healthy,” Burke said. “I was able to go out here every single start, knock on wood, three more coming up. I was able to take the ball every fifth day which was a big, big thing with this being my first full year. That was a huge positive.”
It’s been a year of accomplishments, such as earning the start on opening day, and challenges, such as being optioned to Charlotte on Aug. 18. He made three starts for the Knights before being recalled.
Through it all, Burke has soaked in lessons that will be beneficial.
“Just learning a lot, what it’s like to be on a big-league schedule, face big-league hitters every single day and understand how to get guys out,” Burke said. “When I can go to stuff, when I need to go off of stuff. Little tidbits of the game, within the game that are going to help me that players that have played this game 10-12 years, they know that stuff. A guy like Martín (Pérez), being able to pick his brain has been huge this year. (Adrian) Houser when he was here was another big help.
“Just trying to learn as much as I could from the older guys and grow, learn and get better as much as I could this year and kind of take all that, reflect, then go into the offseason with a plan to get even better next year.”
Injury update
Outfielder/infielder Brooks Baldwin is day to day as he recovers from left hip soreness.
Baldwin batted twice in Friday’s series opener against the Cleveland Guardians before being replaced in center field by Michael A. Taylor in the sixth inning.
“Give him some time here to get back,” Venable said before Saturday’s game. “But good news for him (after the MRI). We’ll see where he’s at in a couple of days.”