Well That's Just Perfect!

There I was wracking my brain trying to come up with something good to blog about (you were this close to getting a Roy Halladay/Matt Holliday Uma/Oprah column), and I see the headline: Buehrle completes perfect game.

Well there you go!

Mark Buehrle, whose name I have always have to spell three times before I get it right (I think it’s the silent and superfluous “h” that gets me), completely dominated the Tampa Bay Rays this afternoon. This of course makes Jonathan Sanchez's no hitter look like a pile of refried beans.

Buehrle did it like he always does, working quickly and throwing strikes. He went to a three-ball count on just 4 of the 27 batters he faced. He had first-pitch strikes on 19 of them. Total game time was just about 2 hours on the dot. He was the very model of pitching efficiency.

Every no-hitter and perfect game has its fair share of defensive gems, and while this one didn’t have many moments of panic for Sox fans, the one that it did have was downright awesome. In the ninth inning, DeWayne Wise, who had been brought in as a defensive replacement in centerfield, made a leaping grab at the wall to rob Gabe Kapler of a home run and save the special day for Buehrle. The catch was spectacular, and if you get a chance check out the video here.

Just two batters later, the 17th 18th perfect game in Major League Baseball history was in the bag.

After the obligatory pitcher-catcher hug with Ramon Castro, the mob of teammates, and the traditional pie to the face, Ozzie Guillen was there to congratulate the hurler. I’m sure Oz said something nice, like “Great pitching today, ace.” Of course it probably came out more like, “Goat pinching toad ass.” And I’m sure Buehrle just smiled and nodded like he always does.


A few moments later, President Barack Obama, a diehard White Sox fan, called to congratulate the pitcher, not just for the perfect game, but also for Buehrle’s ability to get the ball all the way from the mound to the plate without it touching the ground. The President finds that most impressive.

The best story making the rounds, though, has to be the one from before the game even started. Mark Buehrle found out that his regular catcher, A.J. Pierzynski, would not be behind the plate for the game. Mark told A.J. he was sorry they wouldn’t get to work the game together. A.J. told him it was no problem and said, “I hope you go out there and throw a no hitter.” Buehrle reminded him that they had already done that back in 2007. So A.J. said, “Fine, then make it a perfect game.”

Classic!

I know a lot of Cubs fans out there will just shrug and say “who cares” at the news that a White Sox player threw a perfect game. That’s not me though. I love baseball too much to not care about an accomplishment this big.

Congratulations, Mark Buehrle!