| Mark Buehrle | |
|---|---|
 Buehrle with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1979-03-23)March 23, 1979 (age 46) St. Charles, Missouri, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 16, 2000, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 4, 2015, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 214–160 |
| Earned run average | 3.81 |
| Strikeouts | 1,870 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Mark Alan Buehrle (/ˈbɜːrli/; born March 23, 1979) is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher. He played the majority of hisMajor League Baseball (MLB) career with theChicago White Sox, playing twelve seasons for the team and winning the World Series with them in2005. Buehrle also pitched for theMiami Marlins andToronto Blue Jays.
Buehrle pitched ano-hitter against theTexas Rangers on April 18, 2007, surrendering just one walk toSammy Sosa who was then picked off at first base. Two seasons later, Buehrle pitched the18th perfect game in baseball history, against theTampa 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.[1]
Buehrle was born inSt. Charles, Missouri, and attendedFrancis Howell North High School in St. Charles. In his sophomore year, Buehrle was cut from the school's baseball team.
After high school, Buehrle attendedJefferson College inHillsboro, Missouri. He was later selected in the 38th round of the1998 draft by theChicago White Sox organization.[2]
Buehrle began his professional career in 1999 with the White Sox' Single-ABurlington Bees.[3] He went 7–4 with three saves and a 4.10 ERA in 20 games (14 starts), including a complete-game shutout.[4] 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 affiliateBirmingham Barons inHoover, Alabama, giving up only 17 walks in 119 innings.[4] He would be named the Southern League's Most Outstanding Pitcher that season and was the winning pitcher in theFutures 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.[4]
Buehrle made his major league debut on July 16, 2000, pitching one inning of relief against theMilwaukee Brewers and allowing a run.[5] Three days later he started againstMinnesota, allowing six hits and two runs in seven innings while earning a win.[6]
In2001, Buehrle's first year as a major league starter, he went 16–8 with a 3.29 ERA in 32 starts.[7] He threw24+2⁄3 consecutive scoreless innings from May 26 to June 7, the most by a White Sox pitcher sinceTommy John threw 25 scoreless innings in1967. Buehrle recorded his firstcomplete game on May 26 against theDetroit Tigers and later pitched two consecutive complete games on August 3 against theTampa Bay Devil Rays (a one-hitter) and on August 8 against theAnaheim Angels.[8]
In2002, Buehrle posted a 19–12 record in 34 starts[7] and ranked among the American League leaders ininnings pitched (second, 239),games started (tied for second, 34), complete games (tied for second, 5), shutouts (tied for second, 2), wins (tied for fourth, 19) and quality starts (tied for fifth, 23).[9] 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 ofHideki Matsui.
Buehrle set a career high with 35 starts in2003, posting a 14–14 record with a 4.14 ERA.[7] He ranked among the American League leaders in starts (tied second), quality starts (third, 24) and innings pitched (fifth).[10]
In2004, Buehrle led the American League in innings pitched with245+1⁄3, in games started with 35, and in complete games with five.[11] He ranked among the AL leaders in quality starts (third, 23), walks per nine innings (fifth, 1.87), wins (tied sixth, 16), strikeout to-walk ratio (seventh, 3.24), ERA (eighth, 3.89) and strikeouts (ninth, 165).[11] 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.[12]
In2005, 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 theSeattle Mariners in only 1 hour and 39 minutes, giving up only one run and three hits (all toIchiro Suzuki), and backed by only two White Sox runs, both homers byPaul Konerko. In the game, he threw just 106 pitches. Subtracting the time spent between innings, the game took only63+1⁄2 minutes to play.[13] Buehrle was selected to the American League All-Star Team, and was named the starting pitcher afterRoy Halladay could not to play due to a broken leg.[14] He pitched two innings, allowing no runs and striking out three batters while earning a win.[15] Buehrle's streak of 49 consecutive starts of six or more innings ended on August 1, 2005, after he was ejected for hittingBaltimore Orioles outfielderB. J. Surhoff.[16] During theWhite Sox playoff run, Buehrle pitched a complete game against theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Game 2 of theALCS,[17] the first of four consecutive complete games for White Sox starters.[18] 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 the2005 World Series, which the Sox swept from theHouston Astros, winning their first world championship since 1917.[19]
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, whenJack Powell of theSt. Louis Cardinals pitched such a game against theChicago Cubs.[20] On October 30, 2006, the White Sox exercised their $9.5 million option for Buehrle's 2007 season.[21] Buehrle finished the 2006 season 12–13 with a 4.99 ERA in 32 starts, his first losing season in seven major league seasons.[7]
On April 18, 2007, Buehrle threw ano-hitter versus theTexas Rangers atU.S. Cellular Field.[22] It was the firstno-hitter in the stadium's history. It was the sixteenth such game in team history and the first sinceWilson Álvarez no-hit theBaltimore Orioles on August 11, 1991. A walk toSammy 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.[22] Buehrle struck out eight Rangers during the game, throwing an efficient 106 pitches. Thanks to Buehrle's gem, theAmerican 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[23] with a player option worth $19 million if he was traded.[24]
Buehrle finished the2008 season with a 15–12 record and 3.79 ERA in 34 starts, pitching at least 200 innings for the eighth straight season.[7] He induced moredouble plays (34) and gave up more infield hits (38) than any other pitcher in the majors, while tying for the major league lead in bunt hits allowed (9).[25]
On June 14, 2009, Buehrle hit his first major leaguehome run, offMilwaukee Brewers starting pitcherBraden Looper, becoming the firstWhite Sox pitcher to hit a home run in a game sinceJon Garland on June 18, 2006, at Cincinnati.[26] On July 5, 2009, Buehrle was selected to represent Chicago at the2009 All-Star Game, where he pitched a perfect third inning.[27]
On July 23, 2009, Buehrle threw aperfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays at U.S. Cellular Field.[28][29] It was the eighteenth perfect game in MLB history and Buehrle's second career no-hitter.[30] 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, joiningCy Young,Addie Joss,Jim Bunning,Sandy Koufax, andRandy Johnson. (Roy Halladay would join them by pitching two no-hitters in 2010: a perfect game on May 29, and a second no-hitter on October 6, in theNLDS.)[31] Coincidentally, the home plate umpire for both of Buehrle's no-hitters wasEric Cooper (who, coincidentally, shares Buehrle's number 56). He recorded the final out againstJason Bartlett on a ground ball to shortstopAlexei Ramírez. Earlier in the ninth inning, teammateDeWayne Wise, a defensive replacement, made a spectacular catch to robGabe Kapler of a home run and preserve the perfect game.[30] 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,[32] which was later broken on August 28, 2014, byYusmeiro Petit.[33] Buehrle became only the third pitcher in MLB history (joiningCy Young andSandy Koufax) 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 (World Series), 2007 (no-hitter), and 2009 (perfect game).
Illinois GovernorPat Quinn declared July 30, 2009 "Mark Buehrle Day". Prior to the game against theNew York Yankees, Buehrle was given a plaque to commemorate the occasion.[34] In September 2009, the July 23 perfect game received theSporting News Performance of the Decade award.
In November 2009, Buehrle was selected for his first careerGold Glove Award. He also was honored with aFielding Bible Award for his statistically based defensive excellence during the year.[35]
On April 5, 2010, Buehrle made his eighth career opening day start, setting a franchise record.[36] In that game he threw7+1⁄3 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 onBaseball Tonight added the "Buehrle-Meter", in which they compare the day's best play to thedegree of difficulty of Buehrle's.[37] The "Buehrle-Meter" is used daily onBaseball Tonight and was proposed as an idea byBaseball Tonight'sJohn Kruk. On August 3, 2010, Buehrle won his tenth game of the season against theDetroit Tigers pitching 72⁄3 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.[38]
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.[39] He followed up with his third Fielding Bible and Gold Glove Awards in 2011.[40]
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In twelve seasons with the White Sox, Buehrle was 161–119, with a 3.83 ERA, appearing in four All-Star Games.[7]
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On December 7, 2011, Buehrle agreed to a four-year, $58 million contract with theMiami Marlins.[41] In his debut with the Marlins, Buehrle recorded a loss, giving up two earned runs, in six innings pitched against theCincinnati Reds.[42] On May 5, Buehrle threw a complete game against theSan Diego Padres. The Marlins won that game 4–1.[43] Buehrle won his fourth straight Fielding Bible Award in 2012.[44]
In his one season with the Marlins, Buehrle pitched to a 13–13 record with a 3.74 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 31 starts for a team that finished 69–93. It was the first time since 2002 that Buehrle averaged less than one hit allowed per inning.[7]
On November 19, 2012, Buehrle was traded to theToronto Blue Jays along withJosh Johnson,José Reyes,John Buck andEmilio Bonifacio, in exchange forJeff Mathis,Adeiny Hechavarria,Henderson Álvarez,Yunel Escobar,Jake Marisnick,Anthony DeSclafani andJustin Nicolino.[45] On February 5, 2013, managerJohn Gibbons named Buehrle the number 3 starter for the 2013 season.[46] Buehrle pitched his first complete game andshutout as a Blue Jay on July 25 against theHouston Astros, and surrendered just two hits and two walks while striking out nine. The win broke a season-long seven game losing streak for the Blue Jays.[47]
On August 25, Buehrle won for the tenth time in 2013, defeating the Houston Astros 2–1. In winning the game, he extended his streak of seasons with at least 10 wins to 13, and also ended a seven-game losing streak for the second time in 2013.[48] Buehrle surpassed 200 innings for the 2013 season in a game against theBoston Red Sox on September 21, his 13th consecutive season with at least 200 innings pitched. He would finish the 2013 season with a record of 12–10, a 4.15 ERA, and 139 strikeouts over 2032⁄3 innings pitched in 33 starts.[7] On October 25, Buehrle was announced as a finalist for the AL Pitcher's Gold Glove, along with teammateR. A. Dickey andDetroit Tigers pitcherDoug Fister;[49] however, he would finish second to Dickey in voting.[50]
Buehrle won his first four starts of the 2014 season, and put up an ERA of 0.69. On May 1, he and teammateMelky Cabrera were named the co-winners of the Honda Player of the Month Award for April.[51] In a 10–0 win over thePhiladelphia Phillies on May 7, Buehrle earned his sixth win of the season, and became the first pitcher to do so in the 2014 season.[52] In his following start on May 12, Buehrle retained his wins lead, earning his 7th win of the season by beating theLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim 7–3.[53] After taking a no-decision against the Texas Rangers on May 17, Buehrle earned his league-leading eighth win on May 22. He pitched seven innings and yielded only two runs to the Boston Red Sox, and in becoming the majors' first eight-game winner in 2014, gave the Jays a three-game sweep atFenway Park and a 5–1 road trip.[54] On May 27, Buehrle retained his lead in wins, earning his ninth of the season and extended the Blue Jays winning streak to eight games.[55]
On June 1, Buehrle became the first starter to reach double digits in wins, taking his 10th game of the season 4–0 over the Kansas City Royals.[56] His production would drop off considerably from that point onward, posting a record of 2–9 in the 19 starts between June 7 and September 19. On September 24, making his final start of the season, Buehrle surpassed the 200 innings pitched mark for the 14th consecutive season. He would earn the win 1–0 over theSeattle Mariners.[57]
Buehrle began the 2015 season as the fourth starter in the Blue Jays rotation. In his first start of the season, he defeated the Baltimore Orioles 12–5 and earned the 200th win of his career, joiningBartolo Colón,Tim Hudson, andCC Sabathia as the only active pitchers with at least 200 wins. He also became the second pitcher to record his 200th win in a Blue Jays uniform, joiningRoger Clemens.[58][59] On May 29, Buehrle threw his first complete game of the 2015 season, defeating the Minnesota Twins 6–4.[60] In his next start, Buehrle pitched his tenth career complete-game shutout, needing only 93 pitches to defeat theWashington Nationals 8–0.[61] He earned his 30th career win against the Minnesota Twins on August 6, becoming the 21st pitcher to have 30 or more wins against one franchise since 1961.[62] Buehrle made what many believed to be his final appearance of the season on October 2, holding the Tampa Bay Rays to four runs over 62⁄3 innings and earning his 15th win. The start left him two innings short of continuing his streak of 14 seasons with 200 or more innings pitched. On October 3, it was reported that Buehrle would attempt to throw the two innings the following day, and would retire afterward, as he did not believe he would be included on the postseason roster.[63] In the subsequent game, Buehrle was only able to pitch2⁄3 of an inning, after errors in the field resulted in Tampa Bay scoring eight unearned runs on five hits. After the game Buehrle, confirmed that he was not named to the Blue Jays' post-season roster, but that he had not yet made a decision about playing the next season.[64]
He finished the 2015 season with a 15–8 record, 3.81 ERA, and 91 strikeouts.[7] He had the fewest strikeouts per 9 innings in the major leagues (4.12), and he also led major league pitchers in highest contact percentage (89.1%) of batters against him.[65][66] On October 29, Buehrle was announced as a finalist for the pitcherGold Glove award, along withSonny Gray andDallas Keuchel.[67]
In three seasons with Toronto, Buehrle was 40–28 with a 3.79 ERA, appearing in one All-Star Game. Buehrle retired at age 36, having won 10 or more games for 15 consecutive seasons and pitching 200 or more innings in 14 consecutive seasons.[7]
| W | L | PCT | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | SO | WP | HBP |
| 214 | 160 | .572 | 3.81 | 518 | 493 | 33 | 10 | 0 | 3283.1 | 3472 | 1391 | 1642 | 361 | 724 | 1870 | 27 | 79 |
Buehrle's number 56 was retired by theChicago White Sox on June 24, 2017.[68] Buehrle first became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2021 and received more votes than anyone else making their first appearance on the ballot that year, with 11%. However, he fell to 5.8% in 2022, barely enough to remain on the ballot for another year. In 2023, he rose back up to 10.8%. In 2024, in his 4th ballot, he fell to 8.3%.
Buehrle threw afastball,curveball,changeup,slider, andcut fastball. He was a command pitcher, relying more on finesse and accuracy than velocity. He was also known for being a contact pitcher, rather than striking out multiple batters. Buehrle often forced line outs, ground outs, and fly outs, with occasional strikeouts. He was considered an efficient pitcher, pitching quickly and keeping hispitch count low.[69] In 2014, Buehrle averaged 15.8 seconds between pitches, 2.1 seconds quicker than the next fastest pitcher.[70]
Buehrle and his wife Jamie have two children: a son (born July 26, 2007) and a daughter (born March 3, 2009).[71] They live on a ranch in Missouri.[72] Buehrle grew up following theSt. Louis Cardinals. On December 5, 2009, Buehrle attended anAlbert Pujols charity fundraiser. He, along withTony La Russa, bid and won an opportunity to manage the Cardinals for a day at 2010 spring training. Buehrle then gave the prize to Mickey Cunningham, a girl withDown syndrome.[73]
Buehrle's wife Jamie had Orange County Choppers make a surprise motorcycle for him to celebrate his perfect game.[74]
Buehrle and his wife are known animal rights activists, owning four dogs, and have gone on record for criticizingNFL quarterbackMichael Vick, who was convicted of running a dog fighting ring. Buehrle generated controversy when he said he had, at points during the 2010 season, hoped thePhiladelphia Eagles quarterback would get injured.[75] When he was traded to Toronto, he had to leave hispit bull, Slater, behind with his family due toOntario's ban on the breed.[76]
For those of us who have come to more or less ignore Gold Glove awards as a meaningful way to measure defensive excellence, the fifth annual Fielding Bible Awards were announced today.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | American LeagueAll-Star Game Starting Pitcher 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | American LeaguePitcher of the Month May2004 June2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Perfect game pitcher July 23, 2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | No-hitter pitcher April 18, 2007 July 23, 2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Most consecutive batters retired record holder (45) July 28, 2009–August 28, 2014 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
