Four near no-hitters in two years. You knew it was going to happen soon.
August 11, 2008 against the Boston Red Sox: John Danks gives up nothing through 6 2/3 innings against the Boston Red Sox, but they come back to beat the White Sox 5-1.
After going 3 1/3 innings and giving up eight runs in his start before the All Star Game, Mark Buehrle made his second start after the All Star Game and gave White Sox, and Baseball fans, something extremely special and extraordinary to watch. A 38th round pick by the White Sox in 1998, Mark Buehrle has exceeded expectations in many an area.
Excluding his one season where he has recorded a season record below .500 (2006; 12-13; 4.99 ERA), Mark Buehrle has been the most consistent pitcher the White Sox have had in the past ten years (This might also be attributed to the fact that he’s also the elder statesmen on the staff…)
So much had to go right in order for Buehrle to accomplish what he did today. An early lead. Spectacular defense. Some luck. Dominance. And a ton of spirit, guts, and will. That’s how Buehrle was able to record the 18th perfect game in Major League Baseball History.
Everyone knows that Buehrle doesn’t throw anything above 90 mph. When he tries, he gets hit. His bread and butter isn’t any of his pitches, it’s where he locates his pitches. If he can’t locate his fastball, he gets pounded. If his changeup isn’t landing where he wants it to land, or it isn’t working the way he wants it to work, he gets pounded. And when that cutter doesn’t cut…He. Gets. Pounded.
Not today. He was locating, he was cutting, and he was changing up. He only recorded three outs via his slider, with twelve coming on change ups and twelve on his fastball. He had the
Scott Kazmir, on the other hand, had a real hard time locating his pitches in the second inning. Giving up a lead off single to Konerko, and then following that with a walk, Kazmir went to 3-2 counts on both Gordon Beckham and Jayson Nix, before both struck out. Ramon Castro though, hitting .166 until today, laced a single to left field, loading the bases for Josh Fields.
Yes, Josh Fields. The same Josh Fields who is hitting .221 with a .305 OBP and 70 strikeouts. The same Josh Fields who has a .222 batting average with Runners in Scoring Position, and two outs. That Josh Fields. That same Josh Fields ripped a 3-1 pitch way back in the left field stands, staking the Sox to a 4-0 lead, and the Sox, well, they never looked back.
Fortunately, the defense wasn’t too focused on Buehrle, making some stellar plays behind him. Alexei Ramirez made six of the twenty seven outs at shortstop, with Gordon Beckham making two plays in the bottom of the eighth that preserved the Perfecto.
However, when you talk about the defense, Dewayne Wise’s name must be included. Making, arguably, the best defensive play of the 2009 season, Dewayne Wise proved his worth to White Sox fans…if only for a day. On Monday, Brian Anderson, the one who was heralded as the successor to the throne held by Aaron Rowand, was sent down to AAA Charlotte as The Carlos Quentin returned to the White Sox lineup. Manager Ozzie Guillen and GM Kenny Williams were bombarded with questions as to why Dewayne Wise was kept over Brian Anderson.
For one day, those questions came to a halt. On a 2-2 pitch to Gabe Kapler, Buehrle failed to locate his cutter, and left it right down the middle. Kapler jumped on it. It went high. It went deep. And it was gone. Out of here. Perfecto. No-No. Shutout. Gone. No celebration. Just another win. The White Sox would still be in first place going into the
But, wait. Dewayne Wise was sprinting, keeping his eye on the ball, and thinking he could make the catch. No one thought he would. As soon as that ball jumped off of Kapler’s bat, it was gone, right?
The stadium fell silent, the groans ready to emanate from the crowd. Wise leapt and stuck his glove out, hoping that the ball would somehow find his glove. Wise hit the wall, rebounded off of it, and fell onto the grass. The crowd was silent. A million thoughts may have run through Wise’s mind, and I can’t help but think that he was praying he hadn’t dislocated his shoulder again. Not lost on anyone, however, was the fact that in his glove and as he fell to the ground, rolling onto his back, Wise was holding a baseball. That same baseball that almost flew out of the park.
Perfecto. No-no. Shutout. All preserved. The crowd went insane. Buehrle tipped his cap to Wise. The crowd couldn’t be stopped. They knew, at that moment, that they were about to witness history. They were going to see a Perfect game.
Mark Buehrle had this in the bag.
The next batter, Michel Hernandez, strikes out on a 3-2 pitch. The crowd gets louder. Jason Bartlett, the former Twinkie, the man who struck out on a 3-2 pitch from Bobby Jenks on Monday night with the bases loaded, worked the count in his favor to 2-1. This was Jason Bartlett, former Twinkie, who is hitting .338 this season. Jason Bartlett, the All Star. He’s going to be the one to ruin this day. This moment.
No. Not today. On a 2-1 pitch, Buehrle induced a ground ball to Alexei
Ramirez. Ramirez didn’t try to do to much, throwing across the diamond to the first basemen, Josh Fields (It’s slightly ironic that his last name is Fields, and yet, he can’t field anything).
Mark Buehrle. A perfect game. Yes.
How improbable was this? Dan Bernstein of the Boers and Bernstein show said it best: A team that has a rookie third basemen, a shortstop who has only played shortstop in the Majors this season, a backup rookie second basemen, a first basemen who can’t field, a left fielder playing on one foot, a center fielder who’s career was finished just four months ago, and a right fielder with horrible knees, this game was not supposed to happen. With an infield that has committed 68 errors on the year (fifth most in the majors), this game was not supposed to end this way. Someone was supposed to mess up. Someone was a mistake. Two weeks ago, Juan Uribe, now of the San Francisco Giants, made an error that cost pitcher Jonathan Sanchez a perfect game. Juan Uribe, a verteran, made an error, and the rookie at third for the White Sox, Gordon Beckham, played flawless third base. Dewayne Wise, a career minor leaguer, makes, under the circumstances, one of the greatest catches of all time.
Magic? No. Luck? Maybe. But really, this was fate. When a pitcher like Mark Buehrle, a man who isn’t overpowering, is able to stymie the number three offense in the Major Leagues, it’s more than magic or luck…It’s fate.
The first time Buehrle threw a no-hitter, he faced the minimum, picking off Sammy Sosa (that bastard) at first. The first time he threw a no-hitter, no one could believe it. The second time he threw it, well, it was just a little bit sweeter. He allowed no base-runners. He was perfect. Did anyone believe it? No. Would anyone have believed that two starts after giving up 8 earned runs in 3 1/3 innings, that same pitcher would come out and be perfect? I know I sure as hell wouldn’t have believed it, and I doubt anyone could honestly say they would have either.
Mark Buehrle becomes only the sixth pitcher, along with Randy Johnson, Cy Young, and Sandy Koufax, to throw both a No-Hitter and a Perfect Game No-Hitter in the course of his career. He becomes the fourth pitcher ever to win a World Series, throw a No-Hitter, and to throw a Perfect Game in his career, joining Cy Young, Randy Johnson, and Sandy Koufax. He also may havebeen the first pitcher ever to win a World Series, throw a No-Hitter and a Perfect game, and record a save in the World Series.
Mark Buehrle.
King for a day.
Perfect for a day.
Yes.
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