Mark Buehrle
Mark Alan Buehrle is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball career with the Chicago White Sox, playing twelve seasons for the team and winning the World Series with them in 2005. Buehrle also pitched for the Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays.
Buehrle pitched a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers on April 18, 2007, surrendering just one walk to Sammy Sosa who was then picked off at first base. Two seasons later, Buehrle pitched the 18th perfect game in baseball history, against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 23, 2009.
In White Sox pitching history, Buehrle is fifth all-time in strikeouts, sixth in games started, and eighth in wins and innings pitched. In the entirety of his career, he was 2nd in wins for all pitchers who played from 2000 to 2015.
High school, college and the minor leagues
Buehrle was born in St. Charles, Missouri, and attended Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles. In his sophomore year, Buehrle was cut from the school's baseball team.After high school, Buehrle attended Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri. He was later selected in the 38th round of the 1998 draft by the Chicago White Sox organization.
Buehrle began his professional career in 1999 with the White Sox' Single-A Burlington Bees. He went 7–4 with three saves and a 4.10 ERA in 20 games, including a complete-game shutout. Buehrle followed this up with an excellent year in 2000, going 8–4 with a 2.28 ERA in 16 starts for the Double-A affiliate Birmingham Barons in Hoover, Alabama, giving up only 17 walks in 119 innings. He would be named the Southern League's Most Outstanding Pitcher that season and was the winning pitcher in the Futures Game, then rated as the No. 8 prospect in the White Sox organization.
Buehrle made a total of 36 appearances in the minor leagues before joining the White Sox roster.
Major League career
Chicago White Sox (2000-2011)
2000–2004
Buehrle made his major league debut on July 16, 2000, pitching one inning of relief against the Milwaukee Brewers and allowing a run. Three days later he started against Minnesota, allowing six hits and two runs in seven innings while earning a win.In 2001, Buehrle's first year as a major league starter, he went 16–8 with a 3.29 ERA in 32 starts. He threw consecutive scoreless innings from May 26 to June 7, the most by a White Sox pitcher since Tommy John threw 25 scoreless innings in 1967. Buehrle recorded his first complete game on May 26 against the Detroit Tigers and later pitched two consecutive complete games on August 3 against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and on August 8 against the Anaheim Angels.
In 2002, Buehrle posted a 19–12 record in 34 starts and ranked among the American League leaders in innings pitched, games started, complete games, shutouts, wins and quality starts. Buehrle pitched at least six innings 30 times and at least eight innings nine times. FOX Sports Net Chicago honored him as the White Sox Player of the Year. He was selected as a member of the Major League All-Star Team that played in Japan in November. In his one start, he allowed four runs on five hits over three innings, before leaving with a bruised left shoulder sustained when he was hit with a line drive off the bat of Hideki Matsui.
Buehrle set a career high with 35 starts in 2003, posting a 14–14 record with a 4.14 ERA. He ranked among the American League leaders in starts, quality starts and innings pitched.
In 2004, Buehrle led the American League in innings pitched with, in games started with 35, and in complete games with five. He ranked among the AL leaders in quality starts, walks per nine innings, wins, strikeout to-walk ratio, ERA and strikeouts. Buehrle lasted at least six innings in each of his last 28 starts. On July 21 in Cleveland, he faced the minimum 27 batters in a two-hit shutout of the Indians.
2005–2008
In 2005, Buehrle began the season with a 10–3 record, a 2.58 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. On April 16, he finished a game against the Seattle Mariners in only 1 hour and 39 minutes, giving up only one run and three hits, and backed by only two White Sox runs, both homers by Paul Konerko. In the game, he threw just 106 pitches. Subtracting the time spent between innings, the game took only minutes to play. Buehrle was selected to the American League All-Star Team, and was named the starting pitcher after Roy Halladay could not to play due to a broken leg. He pitched two innings, allowing no runs and striking out three batters while earning a win. Buehrle's streak of 49 consecutive starts of six or more innings ended on August 1, 2005, after he was ejected for hitting Baltimore Orioles outfielder B. J. Surhoff. During the White Sox playoff run, Buehrle pitched a complete game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Game 2 of the ALCS, the first of four consecutive complete games for White Sox starters. On October 25, 2005, Buehrle became the first pitcher in World Series history to start and save consecutive games, earning a no-decision in Game 2 and his first career save in Game 3 of the 2005 World Series, which the Sox swept from the Houston Astros, winning their first world championship since 1917.On May 14, 2006, Buehrle became the first major-league starting pitcher in over a century to allow seven runs in the first inning but then win the game. The previous time had been on September 29, 1900, when Jack Powell of the St. Louis Cardinals pitched such a game against the Chicago Cubs. On October 30, 2006, the White Sox exercised their $9.5 million option for Buehrle's 2007 season. Buehrle finished the 2006 season 12–13 with a 4.99 ERA in 32 starts, his first losing season in seven major league seasons.
On April 18, 2007, Buehrle threw a no-hitter versus the Texas Rangers at U.S. Cellular Field. It was the first no-hitter in the stadium's history. It was the sixteenth such game in team history and the first since Wilson Álvarez no-hit the Baltimore Orioles on August 11, 1991. A walk to Sammy Sosa in the fifth inning cost him a perfect game, although he still faced the minimum number of batters, 27, by picking him off at first base two pitches later. Buehrle struck out eight Rangers during the game, throwing an efficient 106 pitches. Thanks to Buehrle's gem, the American League narrowly avoided, by mere days, five years without a no-hitter.
On July 8, 2007, Buehrle signed a four-year contract extension worth a reported $56 million with a player option worth $19 million if he was traded.
Buehrle finished the 2008 season with a 15–12 record and 3.79 ERA in 34 starts, pitching at least 200 innings for the eighth straight season. He induced more double plays and gave up more infield hits than any other pitcher in the majors, while tying for the major league lead in bunt hits allowed.
2009–2011
On June 14, 2009, Buehrle hit his first major league home run, off Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Braden Looper, becoming the first White Sox pitcher to hit a home run in a game since Jon Garland on June 18, 2006, at Cincinnati. On July 5, 2009, Buehrle was selected to represent Chicago at the 2009 All-Star Game, where he pitched a perfect third inning.On July 23, 2009, Buehrle threw a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays at U.S. Cellular Field. It was the eighteenth perfect game in MLB history and Buehrle's second career no-hitter. With the perfect game, Buehrle became the 24th pitcher to throw multiple no-hitters in a career, and the sixth perfect game pitcher who had also thrown another no-hitter, joining Cy Young, Addie Joss, Jim Bunning, Sandy Koufax, and Randy Johnson. Coincidentally, the home plate umpire for both of Buehrle's no-hitters was Eric Cooper. He recorded the final out against Jason Bartlett on a ground ball to shortstop Alexei Ramírez. Earlier in the ninth inning, teammate DeWayne Wise, a defensive replacement, made a spectacular catch to rob Gabe Kapler of a home run and preserve the perfect game. Like his previous no-hitter, the game was completed in exactly two hours, three minutes. On July 28, his next appearance, Buehrle retired the first 17 batters he faced before finally allowing a baserunner in the sixth inning, setting an MLB record for consecutive outs at 45, which was later broken on August 28, 2014, by Yusmeiro Petit. Buehrle became only the third pitcher in MLB history to have a no-hitter, a perfect game, and a World Series title with the same team – a feat Buehrle accomplished with the White Sox in 2005, 2007, and 2009.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn declared July 30, 2009 "Mark Buehrle Day". Prior to the game against the New York Yankees, Buehrle was given a plaque to commemorate the occasion. In September 2009, the July 23 perfect game received the Sporting News Performance of the Decade award.
In November 2009, Buehrle was selected for his first career Gold Glove Award. He also was honored with a Fielding Bible Award for his statistically based defensive excellence during the year.
On April 5, 2010, Buehrle made his eighth career opening day start, setting a franchise record. In that game he threw shutout innings against the Cleveland Indians and also made an incredible play which involved him flipping the ball to first base between his legs with his glove. After this play, Web Gems on Baseball Tonight added the "Buehrle-Meter", in which they compare the day's best play to the degree of difficulty of Buehrle's. The "Buehrle-Meter" is used daily on Baseball Tonight and was proposed as an idea by Baseball Tonight's John Kruk. On August 3, 2010, Buehrle won his tenth game of the season against the Detroit Tigers pitching 7 innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and striking out one batter in a 12–2 blowout. The win marked his tenth consecutive season of at least 10 wins.
In November 2010, Buehrle was selected with his second career Gold Glove Award. He is the only pitcher in MLB history to throw multiple no-hitters and win multiple Gold Gloves. He also won his second consecutive Fielding Bible Award. He followed up with his third Fielding Bible and Gold Glove Awards in 2011.
In twelve seasons with the White Sox, Buehrle was 161–119, with a 3.83 ERA, appearing in four All-Star Games.