Mark Buehrle | The Baseball Zealot

Twins Complete Sweep of White Sox @ Cell

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They were the last three games I could go to at the Cell to see my White Sox play in 2009, Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday nights against the Twins. The weatherman predicted rain, so I decided not to go. On Monday the rain held off, but the Twins bats did not, the Sox lost 7-0, Rob went to a Patio Party that night, but couldn’t persuade me to join him, glad I decided to stay home, the White Sox didn’t show up to play, so why should I show up to watch? Tuesday again looked like rain, Chuck was buying tix for his family on stubhub & wanted me to join him, I politely declinced. Again we lost, but this night we hit three homers, and lost by a score of 8-6.

I was determined not to go again on Wednesday, but then it hit me. This was the last game I could go to in 2009. I have a tradition that goes back nearly 40 years to September 28, 1969 when I first attended the last game of the season. After the game somebody tossed a baseball up to my father for me. As we were leaving the ballpark, Dad asked if I’d like to go to the players parking lot to see if we could get some autographs, I’ve still got that baseball proudly on display in my room, with just about everybody’s signature from that team on it. Since then I’ve taken off school to see the White Sox play their home closer, whenever possible I was there. I was there when Bill Melton hitting leadoff in order to bat more often hit a home run (# 33) off Bill Parsons to pass Norm Cash, and become the Home Run Champion of 1971, I bought a button of Bill Melton commemorating the event, which I’ve still got. But even if I couldn’t make it to the last game, I’d still venture out to the last game I could make.

So halfway through Wednesday I decided I would be going down to the Cell to see Mark Buehrle pitch. Mark Buehrle, who has been far from perfect since pitching his perfect game, seeing his record drop from 11-3 to 12-9, and his ERA rise from 3.28 to 3.84. But still, Mark was my guy, this was my team, I was going down there on the Red Line with hope of avoiding the sweep. It was obvious from the beginning Buehrle didn’t have it, he was yanked after giving up 5 runs, and we were down five to zip. I was hanging behind homeplate with Al, Anthony, & Dan, Dick & Bea, Caramel Corn Mike, Debbie, and bought a beer from BIG Bill (we talked a little baseball), my friend Adele saw me from her seats near firstbase, and called my cell. I joined Adele and her friends Tina & Kate, while visiting with them we managed to close the gap to 5-3, but then Tina & Kate went off to get some snacks & drinks, Minnesota put the game on ice with three runs in the top of the 7th. I returned to my normal spot behind home, the Sox closed to 8-6, but couldn’t quite pull it off. We talked about what we’d do if we were in charge, then we bid each other adieu, till next year, when we’ll all be back for another season of White Sox baseball, rooting for our team.

LET’S GO WHITE SOX!

Lucky Ump

MLB Umpire Eric Cooper has had his share of Buehrle’s noteworthy pitching efforts.

How’s this for strange? (Umpire Eric) Cooper has been behind the plate for each of Buehrle’s last three shutouts — the perfect game Thursday, the no-hitter April 18, 2007, at U.S. Cellular Field against the Texas Rangers and a 6-0 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 17, 2005, at the Cell.

Hope Mark Buehrle isn’t superstitious… he might start putting in requests for Cooper for his future starts.

Buehrle future HOFer?

With Mark Buehrle’s perfect game under his belt now, sportswriters aren’t wasting any time making their case for his eventual induction into the Hall of Fame.

Jon Paul Morosi makes his case.

Ten years down, he’s got 133 wins with a career 3.76 ERA. But Buehrle does bring a lot more than stats. He’s got a world championship in his pocket and he’s a consistent winner. The perfect game added on the no-hitter he already had looks real good. Plus he’s played for one team for his whole career. For some reason, that looks to the BBWAA.

It’s too early to tell, of course, but I think if Buehrle stays the course and the Sox continue to get him the wins he needs, I don’t think he should have much trouble. He’s only 31 years old. Barring injury or scandal, he’s got plenty of time to boost the numbers he got.

Perfect Buehrle Baffles the Rays

buehrle I was going to be in Chicago, that was the original plan, but decided to stay in Santa Barbara with my brother Todd, while he put a new roof on my brain injured friend Lee’s house. It was still before noon when I turned on the live scoring feature for my CBS Sportsline fantasy baseball team, WTLNXTYR, and noticed the White Sox were playing a 1:05 PM game, hosting the Rays, at the Cell. It all came back to me, I’d have been at this game, probably with Rob, as we feel like we’re getting away with something, going to a day game in the middle of the week. With me not working, I don’t know what I’m getting away with.

I was torn, sit in the sun by the pool, or watch Buehrle pitch against Tampa on TV at the bowling alley across the parking lot from my Motel6 room, they happen to have the MLB package there, good things seem to work out for good people. It took me about two minutes to decide to go watch the White Sox, in the time it took me to walk across the lot, a nothing to nothing game quickly became 4-0 on a big fly off the bat of Josh Fields with the bags juiced. Later in the game Scotty Pods ripped a leadoff double inside the firstbase line, Alexei Ramirez, hitting behind the runner also sent his double just inside the first base bag, into rightfield for an RBI double.

That was more than enough for Mark Buehrle, as he had it on cruise control, Tampa got NAHTING! Buehrle doesn’t overpower anybody, just keeps batters off balance by changing speeds, and setting up his cutter. He was masterful, a joy to watch, besides being a gem, it was also quick. There were a couple of close calls, but nothing which required a fielder to over extend himself, a line drive to third that Gordon Beckham snared, with his feet planted on the ground, then there was a screamer that the thirdbase umpire had to jump out of the way from, before deliberately & dramatically signalling, FOUL BALL!

Before I knew it, it was the top of the 9th inning, defensive specialist Dewayne Wise took over in centerfield. Gabe Kapler caught all of one and sent it over the centerfield wall to lead off the inning, only to have Wise get on his horse, in a full sprint, leap at the fence, bringing the baseball back, preserving the no-hitter and the Perfect Game. Everybody in the bar cheared, but I think I was the only one knowing what was going on. “Two outs to go!”, I exclaimed, urging Buehrle on, “Go to work, Mark, bring your lunch bucket with you”. Buerhle struckout the 26th batter he faced and got the final guy on a grounder to short.

I missed Mark Buehrle’s no-hitter, thrown in April 2007, when I went to Rose Angeli’s with my sister in law Lisa and a good friend named Debbie from Waupaca, they were both in to see a taping of the Oprah Show. I couldn’t have had a better seat for this one, if I’d been at the park, watching it brought tears to my eyes. And I have to give the homeplate umpire credit, he had the same strike zone all game long, no matter the count, no matter the situation.

BUEHRLE TOSSES DONUTS AT KC

Yesterday Javier Vazquez threw eight innings of shutout ball at lifeless Kansas City, combining on a shutout with Adam Russell. Today Mark Buehrle was on the bump, throwing seven shutout innings at listless KC, teaming up with Octavio Dotel & Bobby Jenks for the shutout.

It was drizzling on the southside of Chicago as Buehrle threw a first pitch strike to Michael Aviles at 7:11 PM, eight more pitches, and it was the White Sox turn to bat. OC bounced one into the hole between short and third, rather than eating the baseball, SS Tony Pena, Jr. airmailed a souvenir to a lucky fan behind firstbase, sending Cabrera to 2nd, something you shouldn’t be doing, especially if your batting average is forty points below the Mendoza Line. With it raining Ozzie Guillen decided to have A.J. Pierzynski bunt Orlando to third in order to get a quick run on the board. Jermaine Dye quickly obliged, lining an RBI double to center. Ken Griffey, Jr. bounced an RBI single past the firstbaseman following a Jim Thome fly to left and a Paul Konerko walk, Dye scored on a nice slide, reaching out with his hand to touch home as he slid by.

That was all Buehrle needed, but the White Sox did tack on a couple more runs for good measure. One insurance run came in the 5th inning when Juan Uribe lined a 3-2 fastball for a leadoff single, hustling all the he made it to 3rd on a Chris Getz single to left, Uribe managed to get back to third on a hard hit ball to thirdbaseman Alex Gordon, Getz moving up on the groundout, and then Juan scored on an A.J. grounder to SS. Paulie was the only man that was going to deny Bobby Jenks a save. Big Bad Bobby Jenks was warming up when Konerko lined an eighth inning RBI single to put the Sox up 4-0. There was an obnoxious Cub fan (is there any other kind?) riding Konerko, while wearing a Sox hat, but he had a Cubbie hat in his hand.

Before the game Kenny Williams signed 1st round draft choice Gordon Beckham to a deal, then the kid got to throw out the first pitch. Beckham will report to Class A Kannapolis on Thursday. Can’t wait for Gordon to get to the big leagues, maybe then he can become a member of that future infield I talked about yesterday. There were family members of Chris Getz in the house, as the rookie secondbaseman got his first start of his major league career, they were wearing #39 Getz teeshirts, and went wild when he was introduced.