On Thursday, July 23, 2009,
Mark Buehrle
Mark Alan Buehrle (; born March 23, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Chicago White Sox, playing twelve seasons for the team and winning the World S ...
of the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
pitched a
perfect game
Perfect game may refer to:
Sports
* Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners
* Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game
* Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...
against the
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...
. The game took place at
US Cellular Field
Guaranteed Rate Field is a baseball stadium located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It serves as the home stadium of the Chicago White Sox, one of the city's two Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, and is owned by the state ...
in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
in front of 28,036 fans, and occurred from 1:07 PM CT to 3:10 PM CT.
It was the 18th perfect game and 263rd no-hitter in
MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
history, second perfect game and 17th no-hitter in White Sox history.
The previous perfect game in MLB history was on May 18, 2004 when
Randy Johnson
Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "The Big Unit", is an American photographer and former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle M ...
of the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
pitched a perfect game against the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
at
Turner Field
Turner Field was a baseball stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1997 to 2016, it served as the home ballpark to the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium in 1996 to serve as the c ...
. The previous occasion a White Sox pitcher threw a perfect game was on April 30, 1922 when
Charlie Robertson
Charles Culbertson Robertson (January 31, 1896 – August 23, 1984) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a pitcher, and is best remembered for throwing a perfect game in 1922. He was the last surviv ...
pitched a perfecto against the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
at
Navin Field
Tiger Stadium, previously known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. The stadium was nicknamed "The Corner" for its location at the intersection of Michigan and Trumbul ...
(later known as Tiger Stadium); that was the fifth perfect game in MLB history.
Buehrle also logged his second career
no-hitter
In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...
; the first was against
the Texas Rangers on April 18, 2007. He became the first pitcher to throw multiple no-hitters since Johnson.
Buehrle did this in the midst of setting a Major League record by retiring 45 consecutive batters over three games.
The umpire,
Eric Cooper
Eric Richard Cooper (December 18, 1966 – October 20, 2019) was an American professional baseball umpire, whose Major League Baseball (MLB) career spanned 1999 until his death in October 2019. He wore umpire uniform number 56. As a Major Leagu ...
, who stood behind the plate for this perfect game was the same home plate umpire when Buehrle threw his first career no-hitter.
Ramón Castro was the catcher. Cooper and Buerhle also shared the same uniform number of 56 and White Sox scoring line was 5-6-0 (five runs on six hits with no errors)
At the time, the Rays were tied for the second-highest
on-base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
(.343) of any team, so they were one of the least likely to allow a perfect game. Buehrle’s perfect game was to become the first of three perfect games and the first of four no-hitters allowed by the Rays in less than three years:
*
the second
''The Second'' is the second studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf, released in October 1968 on ABC Dunhill Records. The album contains one of Steppenwolf's most famous songs, " Magic Carpet Ride". The background of the orig ...
was delivered by
Dallas Braden
Dallas Lee Braden (born August 13, 1983) is an American former professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from to as a member of the Oakland Athletics and, wher ...
of the Oakland Athletics on May 9, 2010 (
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the ...
)
* the third was pitched by
Edwin Jackson of the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 25, 2010
* and
the fourth, which meant the Rays tied
the Dodgers as the only MLB franchise to allow three perfect games, being delivered by
Félix Hernández
Félix Abraham Hernández García (born April 8, 1986), nicknamed "King Félix", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners from 2005 through 2019.
On August 15, 2 ...
on August 15, 2012.
Background
1998 Draft and Major League debut
Mark Buehrle was a 38th round pick and 1139th overall in
1998 draft pick by the White Sox. Buehrle made his major league debut on July 16, 2000, pitching one inning of relief while allowing a run to
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
. Then he made his first starting appearance on July 19, pitching seven innings while allowing six hits and two runs to
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
.
First career no-hitter
On April 18, 2007 against the
Texas Rangers at U.S. Cellular Field, Mark Buehrle threw his first career no-hitter. In that game, he threw 106 pitches and faced 27 batters while allowing just one walk. After allowing a walk to
Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta Sosa (born November 12, 1968) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Cubs. After playing for the Texas Rangers and C ...
in the fifth inning and one out after a 3–1 pitch, and he was promptly
picked off from first base while facing the next batter.
This was the 16th no-hitter in White Sox history, the first one since August 11, 1991 when
Wilson Álvarez
Wilson Eduardo Álvarez Fuenmayor (born March 24, 1970) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher. During a thirteen-year baseball career, he pitched for the Texas Rangers, ...
threw one at
Memorial Stadium against
the Baltimore Orioles and first at home since September 10, 1967 when
Joel Horlen
Joel Edward Horlen (August 14, 1937 – April 10, 2022) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1961 to 1972 for the Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics. In references, he is called Joe Ho ...
threw one against
the Detroit Tigers.
2009 campaign
Mark Buehrle was the 2009
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...
starter, which he took the victory as the Sox beat
the Royals 4–2. Buehrle won five straight decisions to start the 2009 season. His record stood at 9–3 before the All-Star break, and he was voted to the
All-Star Game
An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or div ...
in
Busch Stadium
Busch Stadium (also referred to informally as "New Busch Stadium" or "Busch Stadium III") is a baseball stadium located in St. Louis, Missouri. The stadium serves as the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) f ...
in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
near his hometown, where he pitched a perfect third. On June 14, he hit the first and only home run of his career in a road game against the
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
at
Miller Park
American Family Field is a retractable roof stadium used primarily for baseball. It is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just southwest of the intersection of Interstate 94 and Brewers Boulevard. It is the home of Major League Baseball's Milwauk ...
. After completing his perfect game, Buehrle had an 11–3
pitching record
Pitch may refer to:
Acoustic frequency
* Pitch (music), the perceived frequency of sound including "definite pitch" and "indefinite pitch"
** Absolute pitch or "perfect pitch"
** Pitch class, a set of all pitches that are a whole number of octave ...
with a 3.28
ERA
An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth.
Comp ...
. Buehrle struggled in the games following the perfect game and he did not achieve another win until September 7 against
the Red Sox. On September 30 in the second game of the
doubleheader, Buehrle pitched his final game of the season at Cleveland and he took the victory when the Sox shutout Cleveland 1–0.
After his perfecto till the end of his 2009 campaign, he posted a 2–7 record with a 4.78 ERA and he finished the season 13–10 with a 3.84 ERA. He became the only active player to pitch for least two hundred innings for nine consecutive seasons after his debut in 2000.
2010 Opening Day and play of the season
Buehrle was named the 2010 Opening Day starter for a franchise-record eighth time. In that game, he pitched seven innings and allowed no earned runs. Incredibly, in the fifth inning, he made a spectacular play facing
Lou Marson
Louis Glenn Marson (born June 26, 1986) is an American former professional baseball catcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians, from through . Marson also played in the 2008 Summer O ...
of the
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
. Marson hit a ball which bounced off Buehrle’s foot, and he managed to pick it up with his glove and immediately throw it backwards between his legs without looking back and
1st baseman Paul Konerko
Paul Henry Konerko (; born March 5, 1976) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman from 1997 to 2014, most prominently as a member of the Chicago White Sox, where he was a si ...
caught the ball with his bare hand for the second out of the inning. This is the #1 play of the season as no other plays beat Buehrle for the remaining six months of the 2010 regular season. In the show ''
Baseball Tonight
''Baseball Tonight'' (stylized as ''Baseball Tonight presented by Chevrolet'' for sponsorship reasons) is an American television program that airs on ESPN. The show, which covers the day's Major League Baseball action, has been on the air since ...
'', the "Buehrle-Meter" is used to estimate the performance of the #1 Web Gems from 1–10 where 10 is just as spectacular as Mark Buehrle's spectacular play on April 5, 2010.
Game
![Buehrle56](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Buehrle56.jpg)
In the bottom of the second inning with two outs and a 3–1 pitch,
Josh Fields hit a
grand slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
off of
Scott Kazmir
Scott Edward Kazmir (; born January 24, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics ...
, giving the White Sox a 4–0 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth inning,
Scott Podsednik
Scott Eric Podsednik (; born March 18, 1976) is an American former professional baseball outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Best known for his baserunning, Podsednik led the major leagues in stolen bases in with 70, in times caught steal ...
hit a lead-off double. The next batter,
Alexei Ramírez
Alexei Fernando Ramírez Rodriguez (born September 22, 1981) is a Cuban former professional baseball shortstop. He has played for the Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays in MLB and Pinar del Rio of the Cuban National Serie ...
, scored Podsednik from second with a double of his own, making it a 5–0 White Sox lead.
Two of the Rays batters hit a foul ball very close to the fair territory down the left field line. Five of the Rays hitters had full (3–2) counts.
Ninth inning
In the top of the ninth inning, the Rays’ leadoff hitter,
Gabe Kapler
Gabriel Stefan Kapler (born July 31, 1975), nicknamed "Kap", is an American former professional baseball outfielder, and current manager of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Kapler was a 57th-round draft pick (1,487th ove ...
, hit a deep fly ball to left field-center field, where
DeWayne Wise
Larry DeWayne Wise (born February 24, 1978) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He graduated from Chapin High School in 1997 and was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the fifth round (158th overall) of the 1997 Major League Ba ...
made a spectacular catch, taking a home run away from Kapler and saving the perfect game for Buehrle. Wise was a defensive replacement prior to the ninth inning.
The next batter,
Michel Hernández, struck out swinging on a two-seam fastball with a full (3–2) count. The final batter,
Jason Bartlett, hit a ground ball to shortstop Alexei Ramírez, who threw it to first baseman Josh Fields (
Paul Konerko
Paul Henry Konerko (; born March 5, 1976) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman from 1997 to 2014, most prominently as a member of the Chicago White Sox, where he was a si ...
was the designated hitter for the day) to finish off the history-making moment at 3:10 PM CT.
Game statistics
Sources:
Linescore
Box score
BATTING
*2B: Podsednik (12, Kazmir), Ramirez, A (11, Kazmir)
*HR: Fields (7, 2nd inning off Kazmir, 3 on, 2 out)
*TB: Podsednik 2; Ramirez, A 3; Konerko; Castro, R; Fields 4
*RBI: Fields 4 (30), Ramirez, A (47)
*2-out RBI: Fields 4
*Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Quentin; Konerko
*Team RISP: 3-for-9
*Team LOB: 5
Other info
*HBP: Nix, J by Kazmir
*Pitches-strikes: Kazmir 98–65, Cormier 20–11, Thayer, D 10–7, Buehrle 116–76
*Groundouts-flyouts: Kazmir 2–11, Cormier 3–0, Thayer, D 0–2, Buehrle 11–10
*Batters faced: Kazmir 27, Cormier 4, Thayer, D 3, Buehrle 27
*Umpires: HP –
Eric Cooper
Eric Richard Cooper (December 18, 1966 – October 20, 2019) was an American professional baseball umpire, whose Major League Baseball (MLB) career spanned 1999 until his death in October 2019. He wore umpire uniform number 56. As a Major Leagu ...
, 1B –
Mike Reilly, 2B –
Chuck Meriwether
Julius Edward "Chuck" Meriwether (June 30, 1956 – October 26, 2019) was a Major League Baseball (MLB) umpire. After working in the American League (AL) from 1988 to 1999, he umpired in both leagues from 2000 to 2009. Meriwether originally wore ...
, 3B –
Laz Díaz
Lazaro Antonio Díaz Sr. (born March 29, 1963) is an American umpire in Major League Baseball wearing number 63, a reference to his year of birth. He joined the American League's full-time staff in 1999, and has worked throughout both major league ...
*Weather: , sunny
*Wind: 7 mph, L to R
*Time of first pitch: 1:07 PM CT
*Time: 2:03
*Attendance: 28,036
*Venue:
U.S. Cellular Field
Guaranteed Rate Field is a baseball stadium located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It serves as the home stadium of the Chicago White Sox, one of the city's two Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, and is owned by the state ...
Play by play
Broadcaster’s reactions
As Buehrle exited the field after the eighth inning, White Sox broadcaster
Ken Harrelson
Kenneth Smith Harrelson (born September 4, 1941), nicknamed "The Hawk" due to his distinctive profile, is an American former professional baseball All-Star first baseman and outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 197 ...
, calling the game on
Comcast SportsNet Chicago
NBC Sports Chicago (formerly Comcast SportsNet Chicago) is an American regional sports network that broadcasts regional coverage of professional sports teams in the Chicago metropolitan area, as well as college sports events and original sports- ...
, exclaimed "Call your sons! Call your daughters! Call your friends! Call your neighbors! Mark Buehrle has a perfect game going into the ninth!"
Upon watching the replay of Wise's catch, Harrelson declared it was "under the circumstances, one of the greatest catches I have ever seen in 50 years in this game."
As the final ground ball of the game rolled towards White Sox shortstop
Alexei Ramírez
Alexei Fernando Ramírez Rodriguez (born September 22, 1981) is a Cuban former professional baseball shortstop. He has played for the Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays in MLB and Pinar del Rio of the Cuban National Serie ...
, Harrelson called out: "Alexei?!" As Ramirez completed the throw to first baseman
Josh Fields, Harrelson shouted, "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! History!"
Though many did not like Harrelson’s verbosity and obvious hometown
boosterism
Boosterism is the act of promoting ("boosting") a town, city, or organization, with the goal of improving public perception of it. Boosting can be as simple as talking up the entity at a party or as elaborate as establishing a visitors' bureau. ...
at the concluding moment of the game, others felt the outburst of emotion captured exactly what they were feeling as the perfect game was sealed.
Aftermath
With the final out, the White Sox players ran onto the field, hugging each other. President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
, an ardent White Sox supporter, called Buehrle to congratulate him on his perfect game. Then his wife Jamie and her baby daughter Brooklyn came to the
U.S. Cellular Field
Guaranteed Rate Field is a baseball stadium located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It serves as the home stadium of the Chicago White Sox, one of the city's two Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, and is owned by the state ...
from their home in suburban Chicago to congratulate Mark. Buehrle's reaction was putting his glove on his head in shock before receiving hugs from his teammates.
On July 29, 2009, Mark threw perfect innings. By retiring former teammate
Joe Crede
Joseph Taylor Crede (pronounced CREE-dee, born April 26, 1978) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox (2000–2008) and the Minnesota Twins (2009). Crede was drafted ...
, Buehrle set the new record for consecutive batters retired, beating
Jim Barr
James Leland Barr (born February 10, 1948) is an American former professional baseball right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the San Francisco Giants (1971–1978, 1982–1983) and California Angels (1979–1980).
...
(who had retired 41 consecutive batters over the course of two complete-game wins in 1971, from the third inning of one to the seventh inning of the next) and teammate
Bobby Jenks
Robert Scott Jenks (born March 14, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox from 2005 through 2011.
According to the ''Baseball Almanac'', his ...
(who had tied Barr’s mark over 14 relief appearances in 2007). Buehrle would then go on to retire the next three batters, before walking Minnesota Twin
Alexi Casilla
Alexi Casilla Lora (born July 20, 1984) is a Dominican former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles.
Professional career Minnesota Twins
Casilla was signed ...
with two outs in the sixth inning, thus foiling Buehrle’s chance of becoming the first pitcher to ever throw a second career perfect game – let alone consecutive perfect games.
Denard Span
Keiunta Denard Span (born February 27, 1984) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Washington Nationals, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mar ...
followed Casilla with a single, thus foiling Buehrle’s chance of becoming the second pitcher to throw consecutive no-hitters (the first having been
Johnny Vander Meer
John Samuel Vander Meer (November 2, 1914 – October 6, 1997) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds where he became the only ...
for
the 1938 Reds); in fact, Buehrle allowed 5 runs in innings and took the loss on July 29. Combined with the last out of one appearance, his perfect game, and the 5 2/3 innings worth of perfection, Mark set the new record of 45 consecutive batters retired.
[ This mark was broken by ]Yusmeiro Petit
Yusmeiro Alberto Petit (; born November 22, 1984) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Washi ...
with 46 over eight appearances in 2014.
On July 29, 2009 Illinois Governor Pat Quinn declared July 30 "Mark Buehrle Day". On August 4 before the game against the Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
, the White Sox held a special ceremony and provided "perfect game" and "MLB Record-Setting" giveaways for fans attending the Sox-Angels series. This series against the Angels was called "The Buehrle Appreciation Series".
The left-center field wall where Wise made his ninth-inning home run-robbing catch is marked with the text, "The Catch".
References
{{Tampa Bay Rays
Perfect Game
Perfect game may refer to:
Sports
* Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners
* Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game
* Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New York ...
Chicago White Sox
Tampa Bay Rays
Buehrle, Mark
July 2009 sports events in the United States
2009 in sports in Illinois
2000s in Chicago
Sports competitions in Chicago