When someone says Mark Buehrle, what do you say?
Maybe you mention the 2005 World Series Championship. Maybe you bring up the no-hitter against the Texas Rangers in 2007. Or maybe you talk about his laid back demeanor he exudes every time he takes the mound.
Of course, you might say his perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays, which was the first perfect game thrown in the majors since Randy Johnson pitched one in 2004 against the Atlanta Braves.
Buehrle entered the majors in 2000 splitting time between relief and starting duty. The next season, he enjoyed his first season as a full-time starter, going 16-8 and 3.29 ERA. Not too shabby for a kid who was picked in the 38th round of the draft three years before.
Buehrle was named to his first All-Star game in 2002 and has been named to the mid-summer classic three more times. In 2005, he was also part of a World Series Championship while going 16-8 and posting a career best 3.12 ERA.
If you watch the White Sox and Mark Buehrle, you know his stuff is not dominating. He uses location and his brain to get outs. That is why it’s shocking too many when he goes out and pitches a no-hitter and a perfect game.
This fun stat shocked me. Buehrle joined Sandy Koufax, Randy Johnson, Jim Bunning, Addie Joss, and Cy Young (yes, the guy who they named the pitcher of the year award after) as the only six pitchers to hurl both a no-hitter and a perfect game. That is some pretty good company.
Yet, he doesn’t receive the national recognition. Pitchers like Johan Santana, CC Sabathia, Justin Verlander, Tim Lincecum, Zack Greinke, and even the crazy Carlos Zambrano get a ton of attention.
Don’t get me wrong. Those guys deserve it, but shouldn’t Buehrle get some too?
When Randy Johnson was going for his 300th victory, I remember ESPN’s baseball experts throwing out Sabathia and Santana’s as the next guys to reach 300.
Both guys can do it. But what about Buehrle?
Buehrle has 133 wins in his career and just turned 30-years old. Because of his durability and style, he can probably pitch another 10 years. Factor that in with the fact he averages around 15 wins a season, there is no doubt he can get to 300 victories.
The only problem is that Buehrle has said that he would consider retiring once his contract is up after the 2011 season so he can spend time with his family. That might put the kabish on reaching a milestone like 300 victories.
Still, he could be on pace for a hall of fame career. Hopefully, this perfect game might just show people outside of the Chicagoland area just how good Buehrle is.
(Interesting fact: Today’s perfect game was the first time Sox catcher Ramon Castro caught for Buehrle. A.J. Pierzynski had the day off.)
