Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox became the 18th pitcher to throw a perfect game yesterday and has Dewayne Wise to thank for preserving his place in Major League Baseball history.
Wise took over in centerfield as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning and stole a home run from Gabe Kapler for the first out. Wise ran up the wall in left-centerfield, reached up to make the catch and then collected the ball with his throwing hand as it came loose while he fell to the ground.
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said it was the greatest defensive play he’s ever seen, considering the circumstances. Buehrle gave watches to his Chicago teammates after throwing a no-hitter in 2007 and figures his appreciation, especially to Wise, might come at a higher price this time.
“I owe him a little bit more than (a steak dinner),” Buehrle, 30, said during a news conference. “This one will probably be more expensive than that.”
Wise, who’s in his second season with the White Sox, said he spent the late innings on the exercise bike in the training room to get loose and admitted being nervous entering the game in such a crucial situation.
“Right when the ball was hit, I told myself I had to go,” Wise said in an interview with ESPN. “I had to do whatever it takes, even if I had to run through the wall to catch the ball. I’m just glad it hung up long enough to give me time to get back there and make the leaping catch.”
Recent Perfect Games
Since 1900, baseball has had only 16 perfect games and Randy Johnson was the last pitcher to retire all 27 batters he faced, with Arizona on May 18, 2004. The last American Leaguer to accomplish the feat was David Cone with the New York Yankees on July 18, 1999.
Buehrle is the sixth pitcher in major-league history to throw at least two no-hitters, including a perfect game. He joins Johnson, who is still active, and Hall of Fame members Sandy Koufax, Jim Bunning, Addie Joss and Cy Young.
President Barack Obama, a White Sox fan, learned of the perfect game as his motorcade departed an event in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and made a congratulatory call to Buehrle while en route to a fundraiser in Chicago.
Obama wore a White Sox jacket when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at baseball’s All-Star Game last week and had talked with Buehrle in the locker room beforehand.
“As a fan, it’s extraordinary,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs quoted Obama as saying yesterday. “When you’re a White Sox fan and know the guy who did it, it makes it even more fun.”
No Jinx
Buehrle said he felt strong throughout the game and his adrenaline kicked in to carry him through the final innings.
While some baseball players consider it a jinx to talk to a pitcher in the midst of a no-hitter, Buehrle said he felt more relaxed by talking to his teammates on the bench while the White Sox were up to bat.
After Wise’s dramatic catch to lead off the ninth inning and keep the perfect game intact, Buehrle retired the final two batters, including Jason Bartlett on a ground ball to shortstop for the final out at Chicago’s U.S. Cellular Field. Buehrle then put his glove on his head in disbelief and walked off the pitcher’s mound as his teammates ran onto the field to celebrate the team’s first perfect game since Charlie Robertson in 1922.
“So much stuff has to happen to have a perfect game or no- hitter,” said Buehrle, a four-time All-Star who signed a four- year, $56 million extension with the White Sox in 2007. “You just have to have everything go your way.”
Buehrle had allowed 25 hits in his previous three starts. The left-hander threw 116 pitches against the Rays, who became the second division champion in baseball history to have a perfect game thrown against them.
Buehrle improved to 11-3 on the season for Chicago, which tied Detroit for first place in the American League Central Division when the Tigers lost to Seattle 2-1.
Buehrle’s perfect game came 12 days after Jonathan Sanchez of the San Francisco Giants threw the season’s first no-hitter against San Diego.
