Astros' Mike Burrows Facing Old Team With Something to Prove

The concept of "revenge games" is one that has floated about the sports zeitgeist for as long as sports have existed. Babe Ruth would clobber the Boston Red Sox on an annual basis following his trade to the New York Yankees in 1919. Patrick Roy's emotional revenge contest against the Montreal Canadiens after his dramatic departure also sticks in the memory.

That's not to mention the litany of other examples, from Brett Favre versus the Green Bay Packers in 2009, Kyrie Irving against the Boston Celtics, or LeBron James' return to Cleveland following "The Decision."

Mike Burrows' first game against the Pittsburgh Pirates certainly won't — at least at first — enter into the sphere that the aforementioned revenge moments will. There is still a narrative to be had here, however, as Burrows — who spent his first season-plus with the Pirates — has something to prove to the club that decided to trade him.

Just six days before Christmas last year, the Pirates, Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays struck a deal that's already had drastic consequences for the 2026 season. Heading to Pittsburgh were 2B Brandon Lowe, OF Jake Mangum and LHP Mason Montgomery. The Rays received OF Jacob Melton and RHP Anderson Brito, while the Astros got Mike Burrows.

Burrows' addition to the trade almost seemed like an addendum compared to the other names. That won't be the case if he can put up a performance for the ages on June 2 against the Pirates, the team that didn't deem him worthy.

A Trade Still Being Evaluated – At Least for the Astros

Houston Astros starting pitcher Mike Burrows. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

After being drafted in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Pirates, Burrows slowly but surely made his way up the minor leagues before making his big league debut in 2024. He appeared in just one game — a 9-4 Pittsburgh victory over the New York Yankees on Sept. 28 — going 3 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run with two strikeouts and three walks.

Burrows emerged as a quality rotation piece in 2025, appearing in 23 games — 19 of which were starts — and accumulating a 3.94 ERA over 96 innings. It was a perfectly fine first full season in MLB, one that the Astros believed could be built upon in Houston.

Mike Burrows is straight eating innings right now for the Astros.

Last 4 starts:
05-27: 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 K, 1 BB
05-20: 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 2 K, 3 BB
05-14: 5.2 IP, 7 ER, 4 K, 3 BB
05-08: 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 K, 1 BB

Season Stats:
63.1 IP
5.40 ERA | 1.45 WHIP | 7.67 K/9…
— PaceBall (@paceball__) May 28, 2026

So far, that assumption has proved partially correct. Burrows has certainly flashed brilliance as a member of the Astros, but there has been a lot of bad mixed in with the good. In 11 starts, he has a 5.40 ERA and has allowed a league-leading 13 home runs. His walks are up — he allowed 21 free passes in all of 2025 and has already sent 21 hitters to first base in 2026 — and he's allowing more base hits. His strikeout rate is down significantly, too.

Long story short, Burrows certainly has something to prove against the Pirates on Tuesday night. Because while he's been attempting to find his way in Houston, the players the Pirates received in the trade — Lowe, Mangum and Montgomery — have all contributed to Pittsburgh's resurgence.

Right now, the Pirates don't regret the deal. It's Burrows' job to reverse that mindset, and that starts on Tuesday night at Daikin Park in Houston.

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