Burke was a starter in the Pirates’ and Yankees’ organizations but was brought to the majors as a reliever by Montreal’s Buck Rodgers, who had managed Burke in Triple-A. A sinker-slider specialist with a back-to-the-batter delivery, Burke set an NL rookie record with a league-leading 78 appearances in 1985; as set-up man for Fireman of the Year Jeff Reardon, he won his first eight ML decisions and finished 9-4 with eight saves. He became the leader of Montreal’s fine bullpen-by-committee when Reardon was traded in 1987, going 7-0 with 18 saves and a 1.19 ERA, and walking fewer batters per inning than any other NL reliever (19 in 91 innings). He saved 28, went 9-3, and made the All-Star team in 1989.
