Mark Buehrle finishes the perfect game, a breakdown
What Happened
On July 23, 2009, Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle is on the verge of a historic perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Buehrle has been dominant all afternoon, breezing through the first eight innings without allowing a single baserunner. As the game enters the ninth inning, Buehrle's teammate Dwayne Wise enters the game as a defensive replacement in center field. Gabe Kapler steps up to the plate as the leadoff hitter, hoping to break up the perfect game. Buehrle battles Kapler, eventually inducing a deep fly ball to center field. Wise tracks it back to the wall, making a spectacular diving catch to preserve the perfect game bid. The crowd at U.S. Cellular Field erupts in cheers as Wise makes the grab, with one fan behind home plate even getting knocked over by the momentum of the play. Buehrle is stunned, staring at Wise in disbelief as the White Sox defense has come up big to keep the perfect game intact. With two outs to go, Buehrle faces the next batter, who works the count full before taking a called third strike. The stadium is on its feet, with the fans sensing history in the making. Buehrle delivers one more pitch and the White Sox infielder makes the final out, giving Buehrle the 18th perfect game in Major League Baseball history. As his teammates mob him on the mound, Buehrle takes a moment to acknowledge his wife and child in the stands. Wise, the defensive replacement, also gets a moment in the spotlight, with the TV cameras capturing a homemade sign that reads "I always make the wise choice" - a play on Wise's name. The White Sox players then give Buehrle the traditional celebratory shaving cream pie to the face, capping off the unforgettable performance. Buehrle's perfect game is a testament to the teamwork and execution required to achieve such a rare feat in baseball. With crucial contributions from Wise and the rest of the White Sox defense, Buehrle cements his place in history with a masterful, flawless outing.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentJuly 23rd, 2009, Mark Burley is tossing a gem in Chicago. He's
perfect through eight, and the day didn't start out that perfect. We got an article
here from Lee Jenkins says that Burley always bought a Rockstar energy drink from the
Shell gas station before every start. When he was 10 minutes from the stadium, he
looked down at his cup holder and noticed it was empty. Oh, shit, he muttered.
He texted his wife, Jamie, forgot my drink. I'll definitely lose today. Even more interesting
is the backup catcher, Ramon Castro, showed up and found his name in the starting
lineup. He rushed over to Burley to get the sign, said fastball cutter change, and
Burley said, you know, I throw a curveball too. So Castro was a May acquisition
from the Mets who was catching Burley for the first time ever, had no idea
that he threw a curveball. And the last one is that the White Sox were
playing a day game after a night game with a doubleheader coming up the next
day, so they tried out a lineup that looked more like a split squad. Gordon
Beckham was in the minor leagues two months ago, and he was starting at third
base, which moved Josh Fields to first base for the seventh time in his career.
Burley's command was so poor in his pregame bullpen session that he told Castro, don't
worry, it'll get better. And it did. He's perfect through eight. Dwayne Wise comes in
to play center field in the ninth inning, and we got the leadoff hitter up.
Ball outside. Nice little cutter in. One and one count. Outside and soft.
Foul ball. Oh, you know who this is? Gabe Kapler, our good, dear friend. Oh!
That is fucking atrocious. Gabe actually puts together a decent at -bat. One -two. Takes
the high fastball. Then that fastball he turns on, but turns a little too much,
but got good wood. And then here's the play everyone remembers. Two -two. Bombs
it out there, and Wise tracks it down. Grabs it. Tumbling catch.
Burley's like, holy shit. Okay. What's going on? This is what... The fans are
going insane. Burley couldn't believe it. Wise picks up his sunglasses, casually puts them back
on his head. Ho -hum. I liked how you can see... I like when you
can see he's got it. I'm going backwards now. All right. So he's got it.
Peeks at the track and the wall to find out where he is. Quickly gets
it again, and never looks back at the wall after that peek. Never looked back.
Knew exactly where he was. Grabs it. Oh, my God. Did you see the kid
behind home plate? Never noticed this when I was editing it. This kid behind home
plate gets sat down by this foul ball.
Anyway, this next batter. Now Wise has made the catcher two outs away. It's like,
fuck, I better just do it now. He falls behind him 3 -1, and that
dude doesn't swing at the 3 -1. What are you looking for? A walk? So
it goes from perfect game to no hitter? Get a hit, dude. 3 -1. Swing
the bat. It's a perfect game. Be a bully. Instead, Burley's like, fine, I'll just
go off speed because you have to swing now. And just pulls the string on
him. Makes him look foolish. Now they're standing up in Chicago. One
out away from the perfect game. There you go. 81. Right in
there. His next pitch called the ball. All the fans wanted it. A lot of
fake outs are out there. 1 -1. Cutter low. 2 -1. I
mean, Burley was the most fun to watch pitch. He goes off speed. Gets it
to short. Ba -bam. Also, Burley's reaction here. Just glove on head. In awe.
Kind of like, holy smokes, what happened? And then the teammates. I love perfect games
because everyone needs to be perfect. Sure, like 99 % of the credit
goes to the starting pitcher. But like, everyone had to be perfect in the field.
It's a team accomplishment, but 99 % is there. So anyway, says hi to his
wife, his baby. She got a cute dress on. And then says thank you to
Wise. Hey, thanks for making that fantastic catch. I'm going to go shower now. And
then Wise says, you know, you guys saw that, right? That was pretty cool. I
mean, defensive replacement to come in. Oh, here's a sign. I'm a Sox fan. I
always make the wise choice. Sponsored by OfficeMax. Wow.
Great job by OfficeMax sponsoring that sign. What's up with her arm? Looks like she
got Tommy John surgery. And we got pie to the hair and the head. Slick
it back, Mark. Looking beautiful. One of the cooler defensive plays in a perfect game.
Because everyone tuned in. Because everyone knew it was a perfect game. So I remember
being home and not watching it. But then ESPN broadcasted. Everyone tunes in. And then
you're hoping to see something exciting. Not only do you see that catch. Every perfect
game no -hitter comes with a defensive gem. But for it to be the defensive
replacement in center field in the ninth inning. Just insane.