Perfection
As many of you know, I am a White Sox fan, maybe even a fanatic. And as some of you know, Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game today. For those that don’t know what a perfect game is, he faced the minimum 27 batters and not one got on base via a hit, walk, hit by pitch, nothing, not one batter. How rare is this, in the 100 plus years of MLB, this was the 18th perfect game. Just this year alone, there will be 2,430 games played, not including the post season.
What makes this even more rare is that Mark Buehrle is not a power pitcher, usually perfect games or even no-hitters are thrown by power pitchers, guys that’ll strike out half the guys he faces. Mark relies on his defense, he struck out 6. Who was the defense behind him? We’ll start with his battery mate,
Catcher – Ramon Castro, again, who? He is the Sox back up catcher and today was the 1st time he caught Mark Buehrle. The Sox just picked him a month or so ago.
1st base – Josh Fields, the Sox transplanted backup 1st basemen when he lost his starting position at 3rd. note-Fields hit a Grand Slam in this game as well to put the Sox up 4-0.
2nd base – Jayson Nix, the Sox backup utility guy, 2nd major league season
3rd base – Gordon Beckham, the Sox starting rookie 3rd basemen, who played shortstop in the minors. Today was only his 41st game in the majors.
Shortstop – Alexei Ramirez, the Sox starting shortstop who played 2nd base all last year. Only his 2nd major league season, 1st at shortstop
Left Field – Carlos Quentin, the Sox starting left fielder, but is only starting his 5th (I think) game since missing most of the 1st half of the season due to injury.
Center Field – Scott Podsednik, the Sox starting center fielder, who signed a minor league deal at the beginning of the year and got the call up when Carlos Quentin went down with an injury. Has been the MVP of the Sox since.
Right Field – Jermaine Dye, the Sox starting right fielder. Has been for years.
Designated Hitter – Paul Konerko, the Sox usual starting 1st basemen, given the day off from the field.
Defensive Replacement, center field – DeWayne Wise, why do I mention him? Because he made an amazing catch in center field to take away a HR in the 9th inning to preserve the perfect game.
As you can see, today’s line-up was not our usual line-up. But apparently it was the perfect line-up.
As I watched the game, I was thinking about what I know about Mark Buehrle. I know I like him, he’s one of my favorites on the team. He’s from St. Charles (been there) and is a St. Louis Cardinals (been there too) fan. Why do I mention that? Because a lot of Sox fans get upset when he publically admits he wants to pitch for the Cardinals. Me, personally, thinks this makes him human. He loves the Sox and doesn’t want to leave. He wants to pitch for the team that he grew up with, that made him a baseball fan. I admire him for making those statements. He wasn’t demanding to be traded, just daydreaming. Apparently because he makes millions, he’s not suppose to daydream. From what I hear, he’s an all around good guy, very laid back, loves his family and loves the game. Always shows up to play and wants to win. He pitches fast (never understood the whole walking around after every pitch) and could care less if the other team tries to slow him down. Like I said, one of my favorites.
This perfect game couldn’t have happened to a better guy. I applaud Mark Buehrle with my hands and my heart. I even cried when it happened, tears of joy. As a Sox fan and as a Buehrle fan. I watched his no-hitter a few years ago and have now seen a perfect game thanks to him. Memories that I will cherish the rest of my life. Thank you and Congratulations Mark Buehrle.
