Burkett is also a professional bowler currently competing on the PBA50 Tour.
After pitching for Beaver High School in Beaver, Pennsylvania, Burkett was drafted in the sixth round of the 1983 Amateur Baseball Draft by the San Francisco Giants.
Burkett made his debut for the Giants late in the 1987 season, and pitched six innings in the majors. He was returned to the minors, where he remained for the next two years. His first full season for the Giants was 1990, during which he went 14–7 with a 3.79 ERA in 204 innings. On September 4, 1990, Burkett picked up his one and only save at the major league level. He pitched 3 shutout innings to close out a 6–4 Giants victory over the Padres, saving the game for starting pitcher Mike LaCoss.

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