Lew Burdette, 1926-2007

Quite a career.

Armed with a variety of breaking balls, and bolstered by a reputation for throwing a spitter, Burdette was twice a 20-game winner and twice led the National League in shutouts. He had a career record of 203-144 in 18 seasons and teamed up with the Hall of Famer Warren Spahn and Bob Buhl to pitch the Braves to a pair of pennants.

But all that was hardly envisioned by the Yankees when, in August 1951, they sent him along with $50,000 to the Braves, then in Boston, for pitcher Johnny Sain.

Burdette, who had spent five years in the Yankees’ minor league system — pitching in two games for New York in 1950 — overwhelmed the Yankees in the 1957 World Series, throwing three complete-game victories, each time yielding seven hits. He beat the Yankees, 4-2, at Yankee Stadium in Game 2, outpitched Whitey Ford in a 1-0 victory in Game 5 in Milwaukee, and then, pitching on two days’ rest because Spahn had the flu, threw a 5-0 shutout at Yankee Stadium in Game 7. He was named the most valuable player of the Series.

In two World Series, both against the Yankees, he was 4-2, throwing 49-1/3 innings and 4 complete games, with a 2.92 ERA. They don't build 'em like that any more.