12/18/24
July 23, 2009
White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle throws perfect game: Mark Buehrle was not only unhittable Thursday -- he was perfect. Center fielder Dewayne Wise, inserted in the top of the ninth inning for defensive purposes, preserved the perfect game by leaping above the fence to complete a juggling catch of Gabe Kapler's drive for the first out of the ninth.This marked the second no-hitter for Buehrle, who no-hit Texas on April 18, 2007.
posted by tommytrump to baseball at 04:58 PM - 20 comments
That was one heck of a catch!
posted by trox at 05:07 PM on July 23, 2009
Just saw that catch. Holy shit! Dewayne Wise ought to be asked about that catch at every autograph signing he does for the next 50 years.
posted by rcade at 05:20 PM on July 23, 2009
Nice perfecto and catch and all but the best thing for me were some of the comments under the video on Deadspin (which I have never looked at much).
One of my faves:
Haven't seen a ball bobbled so much in the clutch since Lance Armstrong's last urology appointment.
And this one:
I thought "clutch" in your business meant pumping out a snarky post about Matt Leinart's latest night out drinking with college girls within 15 minutes of the first pictures hitting the web, without any typos?
posted by THX-1138 at 05:51 PM on July 23, 2009
MLB.Com has put up a great-quality video of the Wise catch.
posted by rcade at 06:07 PM on July 23, 2009
Wise is on his horse at the crack of the bat, helluva play! Good call by Ozzie to put him in as a defensive replacement, too. Kudos to Buehrle, he's havin' a great year.
posted by mjkredliner at 06:31 PM on July 23, 2009
That is a sick catch. Given the circumstances - wow.
Buehrle is a damn good pitcher. There aren't too many guys with two no-nos on the resume.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 07:13 PM on July 23, 2009
Ooh, feel this guy's fantasy baseball pain.
posted by NoMich at 07:50 PM on July 23, 2009
Definitely, Ozzie has to get major credit for the Wise sub. I didn't see the game, but I think he also had somebody up and was ready to make a change if that ball goes out of the park. Today was a good day to be a thinking man.
Best of all, Pierzynski didn't catch the game! A guy like that, I'd rather see involved in as few historic moments as possible.
posted by beaverboard at 07:54 PM on July 23, 2009
I'm kinda curious if JJ was in Chicago on business today, and thinking of catching a game... :)
My own comment from MeFi, which basically boils down to "Can you believe some dipshit in the stands was leaning out to snag that ball in the top of the 9th that was going over the fence? You think Bartman was hated on in Chicago..."
posted by hincandenza at 08:03 PM on July 23, 2009
Neate Sager over at OOLF posted a list of fun facts about the PG, including:
- Buehrle had the same home plate umpire that he did in his no-hitter in April 2007, Eric Cooper. He went 27-up, 27-down in that game since he picked off the only baserunner.
- Wise's saving catch came right in front of an outfield-wall mural which honours 1950s White Sox ace Billy Pierce. On June 27, 1958, Pierce lost a perfect game with two out in the ninth inning.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 11:57 PM on July 23, 2009
Buehrle is a damn good pitcher. There aren't too many guys with two no-nos on the resume.
He is only the 5th picher to throw a perfect game and another no hitter.
posted by scottypup at 09:07 AM on July 24, 2009
Beuhrle has always been one of those guys I love to watch pitch. He's got nothing flashy to throw at you but he consistently (9 straight 200 inning seasons averaging almost 15 wins a season, if he hits both targets this season) does what it takes to win games. His consistency is a coach's wet dream.
Also, that Wise catch is absolutely sick. Given the timing of it, I can only imagine how much pressure he was feeling to come up with that ball.
posted by dfleming at 09:42 AM on July 24, 2009
Not to bring up my baseball-hating stick but how is it that American sports fans go nuts over a perfect game (even giving the result such a positive name) while complaining about soccer having so many 1-0s?
posted by billsaysthis at 01:15 PM on July 24, 2009
Because those apples aren't as juicy as these oranges.
posted by Hugh Janus at 01:53 PM on July 24, 2009
A perfect game in baseball is taken as a triumph of the defense, while soccer scores at least look like failures of the offense?
posted by Uncle Toby at 03:44 PM on July 24, 2009
Not to bring up my baseball-hating stick but how is it that American sports fans go nuts over a perfect game (even giving the result such a positive name) while complaining about soccer having so many 1-0s?
In part because a perfect game happens so rarely (only 18 in the history of MLB, and only 16 in the "modern era" after 1900). I assume you get nearly 18 1-0 results across the Premier League and the various levels of the Football League in England in any given month (if not in a single weekend) of the season.
posted by holden at 04:47 PM on July 24, 2009
Toby, seems to me a matter of perspective. If teams are reasonably evenly matched and have some offensive talent then keeping a clean sheet is fairly difficult. A good achievement--I'm not saying the equivalent of a perfect game but plenty of baseball fans a very happy when their team wins with a shutout and, to this point, generally do not consider it having been a boring game.
posted by billsaysthis at 04:48 PM on July 24, 2009
Pretty cool video here of the Phillies in their clubhouse reacting to the Wise catch and the end of the game.
posted by holden at 04:53 PM on July 24, 2009
You know, this is the sort of game I'd have loved to watch. Curse you, time zones!
posted by Joey Michaels at 06:01 PM on July 24, 2009
I was rooting against him because I didn't want it to be against the Rays.