Chicago White Sox Mark Buehrle Pitches Perfect Game

During his career, Mark Buehrle was known for his incredible durability and his remarkable command. He is also remembered for firing the 18th perfect game in Major League history, a game recalled for Chicago White Sox center fielder DeWayne Wise making an incredible catch to save perfection.

Mark Buehrle was the definition of a professional innings eater during his time in the Majors. He pitched 200 or more innings in 14 of his 16 seasons, just missing a 15th 200 inning season by four outs in 2015. He was the type of pitcher who, when slotted in the middle of the rotation, would typically provide quality, worry free innings.

An excellent defensive pitcher, Buehrle is also remembered for his two no hitters, with the first coming in 2007 where he missed a perfect game by allowing a single walk. That missing piece in his resume was added on this day in 2009, as he shut down the Tampa Bay Rays in a 5-0 victory for the Chicago White Sox.

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Buehrle had been breezing right along until the ninth inning. In that frame, the quick DeWayne Wise was placed in center as a defensive substitution, a move that would pay almost immediate dividends. Leading off the top of the inning, Gabe Kapler drove Buehrle’s 2-2 pitch to deep center, where Wise made a tremendous catch, leaping up and reaching over the wall to preserve not only the shutout, but the perfect game. Wise juggled the ball on the way down, but corralled it in his bare hand to get that out. Buehrle then struck out Michael Hernandez on a 3-2 pitch and got Jason Bartlett to ground to short to end the game.

While Buehrle would join an exclusive list of pitchers who fired multiple no hitters, and an even more exclusive group of pitchers who threw a perfect game, it was Wise who earned a great deal of notoriety. His history saving catch was replayed continually on highlight shows, making him a household name for a few weeks. Of course, had he not been in the game, Buehrle may not have had his historical moment.

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Typically, a perfect game is a moment where the pitcher gets their moment in the sun. However, Buehrle likely did not mind sharing that spotlight with Wise, given that his incredible catch made perfection possible.