Rocky Point's Dan Burawa hurt, waits patiently
This is a 2012 photo of Dan Burawa of the New York Yankees baseball team. (Feb. 27, 2012) Credit: AP
TAMPA, Fla. -- Dan Burawa has shown every skill the Yankees could have asked from him in his first three spring training appearances, all scoreless. Now he gets the chance to show one more trait: patience.
Burawa, a 23-year-old from Rocky Point, is not sure when he will be able to throw again because of the torn oblique he suffered pitching against the Braves on Saturday. "For now, it's rest, all different kinds of icing and heat, [stimulation], stuff like that. However fast it takes my body to heal is however fast I'll be able to get back," he said before the Yankees-Red Sox game Tuesday night.
Team doctors did reassure him that it is a very common injury among pitchers. They just weren't in position to predict a return date.
"I kept trying to have them give me a rough one, but they couldn't tell me," he said.
While he is sitting it out, at least he can reflect on success and promise. So far in camp, the 12th-round pick (2010) from Suffolk Community College and St. John's drew unsolicited praise from Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi. Scouts from opposing teams have noticed his arm and asked where that young man came from.
"I feel like I've had a really good camp," said the pitcher who was expected to start this season in Double A. "It's not like any time missed is good time, but I definitely accomplished some things here. I'll just come back stronger. It's not like it's the end of the world. I'll take this over an arm injury.
"If anything, it's a lesson learned. I'll have some down time to work on weak points, like flexibility. That's probably how this happened. Now that I've been through something like this, it will be good in the long run."
So he was a spectator for the Red Sox visit. He has been watching the rivalry all his life, as a Yankees fan. "It starts early. When I was in Charleston last year, there was a fight between their Greenville team and our team," he said. "It's cool to be a part of that, and hopefully, I'll be part of it in the big leagues, too."
