56 reasons why White Sox fans love Mark Buehrle

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1. Mark Buehrle was born March 23, 1979 — the day after Juan Uribe.

2. Just this past March, 536 days after pitching in his final MLB game, Buehrle reached the age that matches his draft round (38).

3. Buehrle provided comparable value from the 38th round to a 1st rounder from the same draft.

- 1998 MLB Draft

- Mark Buehrle | 1,139th  overall (38th round) | 58.5 WAR | 214 Wins | 3,283.1 IP

- CC Sabathia | 20th overall (1st round) | 60.2 WAR | 230 Wins | 3,243.2 IP

- Of the 1,138 players selected ahead of Buehrle in the 1998 MLB Draft, 961 of them never made the majors.

4. Most career WAR (baseball-reference) by left-handed pitchers not in the Hall of Fame.

Tommy John - 62.0

Andy Pettitte - 60.8

CC Sabathia - 60.2

Mark Buehrle - 58.5

Chuck Finley - 58.4

5. Buehrle made his MLB Debut 7/16/2000.

- It was the 10-year anniversary of the infamous Steve Lyons incident (pulled down his pants after sliding headfirst into first base).

6. Buehrle is one of three White Sox pitchers during the DH era to hit a home run.

- Jon Garland (6/18/2006)

- Mark Buehrle (6/14/2009)

- Anthony Ranaudo (7/27/2016)

- He’s the only White Sox lefty (lefty pitcher, that is) to homer since Gary Peters (8/2/1969).

7. Buehrle (2009) is one of four pitchers in American League history to hit a home run and toss a perfect game in the same season.

- 1904 Cy Young

- 1956 Don Larsen (perfect game in the World Series)

- 1968 Catfish Hunter

8. Buehrle retired 45 consecutive batters in July 2009 (then a MLB record).

- 1 on July 18

- 27 on July 23 (perfect game)

- 17 on July 28

9. Last four lefties with multiple career no-hitters.

- Mark Buehrle (2007, 2009), Randy Johnson (1990, 2004), Ken Holtzman (1969, 1971), Sandy Koufax (1962, 1963, 1964, 1965)

10. Buehrle is one of two pitchers in White Sox history with multiple no-hitters

Buehrle – 4/18/2007 and 7/23/2009

Frank Smith – 9/6/1905 and 9/20/1908

11. Buehrle (2009) & Smith (1905) are also the only pitchers in White Sox history with a no-hitter and a home run in the same season.

12. Both of Buehrle’s no-hitters were with Eric Cooper as home plate umpire.  Both games were 2:03 in length.

13. Buehrle has the 16th most starts (493) by a lefty in Major League history.

14. Buehrle could hold runners on base. Compare him to fellow lefty Randy Johnson.

MLB career                  (H+BB+HBP)       SB Allowed

Mark Buehrle                 4,285                 59

Randy Johnson             5,033                456

15. 136 pitchers in MLB history have at least 3,000 career innings.

16. Buehrle’s 27 career wild-pitches have him tied for third fewest (Luis Tiant), behind only Charlie Root (22) and Lew Burdette (23).

17. Buehrle was incredibly durable.

- 14+ straight seasons of 200+ innings (MLB history)

- Cy Young (19), Warren Spahn (17), Gaylord Perry (15), Don Sutton (15), Mark Buehrle (14), Greg Maddux (14), Phil Niekro (14), Christy Mathewson (14)

18. Buehrle is one of 15 pitchers with 15 or more seasons of 30+ starts.

- Don Sutton (20). Greg Maddux (19), Cy Young (19), Phil Niekro (18), Warren Spahn (18), Tom Glavine (17), Steve Carlton (17), Gaylord Perry (17), Roger Clemens (16), Frank Tanana (16), Nolan Ryan (16), Bert Blyleven (16), Tom Seaver (16), Buehrle (15) and Walter Johnson (15).

19. Buehrle had no regular season saves, but he did have one in the postseason – 2005 World Series Game 3 in Houston.

20. Buehrle led the American League in WHIP in 2001 (1.066) — despite only 5.1 strikeouts per 9 innings.

21. Buehrle is one of five pitchers (1950-present) to lead his league in WHIP in his age 22 or younger season.

Mark Buehrle                    White Sox           22           2001       1.066

Bret Saberhagen              Royals                   21           1985       1.058

Dwight Gooden                Mets                     19           1984       1.073    

Frank Tanana                     Angels                  22           1976       0.988

Vida Blue                             Athletics              21           1971       0.952

22. Buehrle had 1,870 career strikeouts.

- Career strikeout #488: Julio Franco (born 8/23/1958)

- Career strikeout #1,858: Rougned Odor (born 2/3/1994)

23. Buehrle is the last pitcher to throw at least 200 innings and record fewer than 100 strikeouts (210.1 IP, 99 K in 2010).

- It’s possible he will be the last ever to do it.

24, His anti-three-true-outcome season of 2010 was quite rare: 210.1 IP, 99 K, 49 BB, 17 HR.

- Buehrle is the only American League pitcher since Allan Anderson in 1988 to have 200-plus innings, under 100 K, under 50 walks & under 20 HR in a season. 

25. Buehrle managed to be great despite not having big strikeout stuff.

Chris Sale (148 Starts) - 35 starts with 10+ Strikeouts

Mark Buehrle (365 Starts) - 1start with 10+ Strikeouts

26. Two of Buehrle’s three career 10+ strikeout games (both with Blue Jays) came when he was over 35 years old.

- Buehrle’s 10+ strikeout games

4/16/2005 vs. Mariners (12 K) - age 26 years, 24 days

4/2/2014 at Rays (11 K)  - age 35 years, 10 days

9/24/2014 vs. Mariners (10 K) - age 35 years, 185 days

27. Buehrle allowed seven first inning runs (one earned) in Minnesota on May 14, 200, but hung around to get the win in a White Sox 9-7 comeback.

- He was the first pitcher to allow seven first inning runs and still get a win since the Cardinals’ Jack Powell on September 29, 1900.

28. Buehrle didn’t seem fazed by giving up hits.

- White Sox (1950-present) games allowing at least 14 hits

Buehrle (4)

15 players (1)

29. Buehrle had as many career wins with 11+ hits allowed (2) as he had wins with 0 hits allowed (2).

30. Buehrle tied for the MLB lead with 4 complete games in 2015, his final season.

31. Prior to Buehrle, the last pitcher to lead or tie for the MLB lead in complete games in his final MLB season was Sandy Koufax (27) in 1966.

32. Buehrle had 4 complete game shutouts before turning 25.

33. Since 2000, there have been 8 complete game shutouts by White Sox pitchers under 25 years old.

- Buehrle (4; 2 in 2001, 2 in 2002), and one each by Dan Wright, Jon Garland, Zach Stewart & Chris Sale.

34. Buehrle had a streak of 49 consecutive starts of at least 6 innings from May 11, 2004 to July 26, 2005. 

- It was the longest streak since Steve Carlton’s 69-game streak from 1979-82 (Justin Verlander had a 63-start streak later on from 2010-12).

- Buehrle’s streak ended August 1, 2005 when he was ejected for hitting B.J. Surhoff with a pitch after 5.2 innings of work.

35. Buehrle is the only pitcher in White Sox history to make multiple scoreless Opening Day starts.

- 4/4/2005 – 8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R

- 4/5/2010 – 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R – including a lovely between the legs toss to Konerko for an unforgettable putout at first base.

36. Buehrle is the last White Sox player to win three consecutive Gold Glove awards (2009-2011).

37. Buehrle had the rare combo of 6 runs allowed and 6 double plays induced on 8/7/2009 vs Indians.

38. It’s rare for a pitcher hold a batter hitless with 20 or more at-bats for his career.

- Don’t tell Lyle Overbay, who was 0-21 with 9 strikeouts (and no walks) against Buehrle.

39. Buehrle is the first pitcher to record 30 regular season interleague wins, and as of now remains the only one with 30 or more.

- Bartolo Colon is second with 29 and Justin Verlander has 28.

40. Buehrle had a win against every team in his career — except the Mets.

41. Buehrle had 33 career complete games.

- 32 of them were 9-inning complete games. The average time of game in those 32 complete games?  2:12.

42. Since 2000, Buehrle has the most 9-inning complete games under two hours (6); a stat I call the “Buehrle.” 

- Brandon Webb & Roy Halladay are next with four each.

43. When Chris Sale had 8 consecutive starts of 10+ strikeouts for the White Sox in 2015 that streak was snapped July 6, 2015 at U.S. Cellular Field...

- with a pitcher’s duel between Sale & Buehrle, who both tossed complete games in a 4-2 White Sox win (all 4 of Buehrle’s runs were unearned).

- Time of game was 1:54 (it was Buehrle’s last career complete game). It was the last time a “Buehrle” was recorded in the MLB.

44. Buehrle’s 99-minute, 9-inning complete game win on April 16, 2005 (with his career-high 12 strikeouts).

- It was the shortest 9-inning CG win in the Majors since Jim Clancy 9/28/1982 (game 1 of DH; 93 minutes; according to game-length data at baseball-reference.com).

45. Starting lineup for first & last career start with White Sox

7/19/2000                                            9/27/2011

2B  Ray Durham                                LF  Juan Pierre

SS  Tony Graffanino                        CF  Alejandro de Aza

DH  Frank Thomas                            SS  Alexei Ramirez

RF  Magglio Ordonez                      C    A.J. Pierzynski

1B  Paul Konerko                              DH Tyler Flowers

CF  Jeff Abbott                                  1B  Adam Dunn

LF  Carlos Lee                                     RF  Dayan Viciedo

3B  Herbert Perry                             3B  Brent Morel

C   Brook Fordyce                             2B  Gordon Beckham

46. The White Sox pitcher who recorded the last out in Buehrle’s last start with White Sox? Sale (who pitched the final 1.2 IP).

- Buehrle’s last career start (and win) in a White Sox uniform is the only career managerial win for Don Cooper (who went 1-1 to finish 2011).

47. Buehrle’s 90 career wins at Guaranteed Rate Field is more than the next two highest totals combined (Garland 45, Sale 43).

48. He’s also the career leader in strikeouts (776) and innings (1320.0)

- Buehrle struck out 8 of the 27 members of the 500-home run club at least once (Thome, Ortiz, Rodriguez, Palmeiro, Ramirez, Sosa, Sheffield & Thomas)

49. Nobody caught more of Buehrle’s 3,283.1 career innings than A.J. Pierzynski.

- The last two White Sox 1,000+ inning pitcher-catcher combos:

- Mark Buehrle to A.J. Pierzynski (2005-11; 1,049.2 IP)

- Wilbur Wood to Ed Herrmann (1969-74; 1,237.2 IP)

50. Buehrle’s career ERA+ of 117 is the same as Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry, and is better than notable Hall of Famers.

- Steve Carlton (115), Phil Niekro (115),Fergie Jenkins (115), Jim Bunning (115), Robin Roberts (113), Nolan Ryan (112), Don Sutton (108), Early Wynn (107) & Catfish Hunter (104)

51. Complete game in Game 2 of 2005 ALCS was followed with complete games by Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia & Jose Contreras in Game 3-4-5. 

- 4 consecutive complete games within a single postseason series hadn’t been done since the 1956 Yankees pulled it off in Game 3-4-5-6-7 in the World Series (with the Don Larsen perfect game in Game 5).

52. Buehrle started the 2005 All-Star Game

- He’s the only pitcher in White Sox history with an Opening Day start, an All-Star Game start and a World Series start in the same season.

53. Buehrle had two career “Madduxes” which are CG shutouts with fewer than 100 pitches.

- And they came nearly 11 years apart.

- 7/21/2004 with White Sox vs Indians (90 pitches)

- 6/3/2015 with Blue Jays vs Nationals (93 pitches)

54. After running and sliding on the tarp during an April 16, 2006 rain delay, Buehrle was told he’d be fined and was told by GM Kenny Williams not to do it again.

55. Players currently in the Hall of Fame had 82 career combined plate pppearances vs Buehrle (including postseason).

- They hit a collective .211/.256/.263 with one home run (Frank Thomas), 5 BB, 10 K.

- The list of Hall of Famers: Ivan Rodriguez, Frank Thomas, Roberto Alomar, Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, Cal Ripken, Jeff Bagwell and Rickey Henderson.

56. Buehrle holds a Blue Jays record for most consecutive starts with 6+ innings and rwo or fewer earned runs allowed (9 in a row - June 3 to July 21, 2015).

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