Mark Buehrle

Mark Alan Buehrle is a professional baseball player currently signed as pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected at the 38th round by the White Sox during the 1998 MLB Draft and made his Major League debut with the White Sox on July 16, 2000.

Buehrle is known to be a command pitcher, relying on accuracy and finesse. He throws a fastball, a cut fastball, a curveball, a slider and a changeup. He is among the most efficient pitchers in the league, pitching quickly and striving to maintain a low pitch count. On April 18, 2007, Buehrle pitched no-hitter against the Texas Rangers, striking out eight Rangers and throwing an efficient 106 pitches.

Buehrle attended Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles, Missouri, and in his sophomore year he was cut from the school baseball team the Knights. Buehrle later attended Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri. Selected in the 38th round of the 1998 draft by the White Sox organization, he made only 36 appearances in the minor leagues, only 16 of which were above Class A. Buehrle was named Southern League Pitcher of the Year for 2000, despite the fact he'd made his big league debut. He was named a Second-Team Minor League All-Star and rated the No. 8 prospect in the White Sox organization. He was the winning pitcher in the Futures Game during All-Star Weekend.

Major League Career

Early career: 2000 - 2004

Buehrle made his major league debut on July 16, 2000, pitching one inning of relief against the Milwaukee Brewers and allowing a run. Three days later he started against Minnesota, allowing six hits and two runs in seven innings while earning a win.

In 2001, Buehrle's first year as a major league starter, he went 16-8 with a 3.29 ERA. He threw 24â…” consecutive scoreless innings from May 26 to June 7, the most by a White Sox pitcher since Tommy John threw 25 scoreless innings in 1967. Buehrle recorded his first complete game on May 26 against the Detroit Tigers and later pitched two consecutive complete games on August 3 against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (a one-hitter) and on August 8 against the Anaheim Angels.

In 2002, Buehrle posted a 19-12 record and ranked among the American League leaders in innings pitched (2nd, 239.0), games started (tied 2nd, 34), complete games (tied 2nd, 5), shutouts (tied 2nd, 2), wins (tied 4th, 19) and quality starts (tied 5th, 23). Buehrle pitched at least 6.0 innings 30 times and at least 8.0 innings nine times. FSN (FOX Sports Net) Chicago honored him as the White Sox Player of the Year. He was selected as a member of the Major League All-Star Team that played in Japan in November. In his one start, he allowed four runs on five hits over 3.0 IP, before leaving with a bruised left shoulder sustained when he was hit by a line drive batted by Hideki Matsui.

Buehrle set a career high with 35 starts in 2003. He ranked among the American League leaders in starts (tied 2nd), quality starts (3rd, 24) and innings pitched (5th).

In 2004, Buehrle led the American League in innings pitched with 245â…“, in games started with 35, and in complete games with 5. He ranked among the AL leaders in quality starts (3rd, 23), walks per 9.0 innings (5th, 1.87), wins (tied 6th, 16), strikeout to-walk ratio (7th, 3.24), ERA (8th, 3.89) and strikeouts (9th). Buehrle lasted at least 6.0 innings in each of his last 28 starts. On July 21 in Cleveland, he faced the minimum 27 batters in a two-hit shutout of the Indians.


2005 - present

In 2005 Buehrle finished the 2006 season 12-13 with a 4.99 ERA, his first losing season in seven major league seasons.

On April 18, 2007, Buehrle threw a no-hitter versus the Texas Rangers at U.S. Cellular Field. It was the first no-hitter in the stadium's history. It was the sixteenth such game in team history and the first since Wilson Alvarez no-hit the Baltimore Orioles on August 11, 1991. He actually faced the minimum number of batters, walking Sammy Sosa but picking him off at first base for an out. Buehrle struck out eight Rangers during the game, throwing an efficient 106 pitches. Thanks to Buehrle's gem, the American League narrowly avoided, by mere days, a five year mark without a no-hitter.

On July 8, 2007, Buehrle signed a four-year contract extension worth a reported $56 million with a player option worth $19 million if he gets traded.

Buehrle finished the 2008 season with a 15-12 record and 3.79 ERA, pitching at least 200 innings for the eighth straight season. He induced more double plays (34) than any other pitcher in the majors. On July 5th, 2009, Buehrle was selected to represent Chicago at the 2009 All-Star Game, where he pitched a perfect third inning.

On April 16, 2005, he finished a game against the Seattle Mariners in only 1 hour and 39 minutes, giving up only 1 run and 3 hits (all to Ichiro Suzuki), and backed by only two White Sox runs, both homers by Paul Konerko. In the game, he threw just 106 pitches. Subtracting the time spent between innings, the game took only 63½ minutes to play.

On October 25, 2005, Buehrle became the first pitcher in World Series history to start and save consecutive games.

On May 14, 2006, in a game against the Minnesota Twins, Buehrle became the first major league starting pitcher in over a century to allow seven runs in the first inning but then win the game. The previous time had been on September 29, 1900, when Jack Powell of the St. Louis Cardinals pitched such a game against the Chicago Orphans.

Buehrle hit his first major league home run on June 14, 2009 off Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Braden Looper, becoming the first White Sox pitcher to hit a home run in a game since Jon Garland on June 18, 2006, at Cincinnati. Buehrle ripped a 3-2 pitch off Looper well over the fence in right center to lead off the top of the third inning. He then took a normal trot around the bases and was greeted briefly by his teammates at home plate before running down the dugout tunnel.

On July 23, 2009, Buehrle threw his 2nd career no hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays at U.S. Cellular Field. It was also the eighteenth perfect game in Major League history. With this perfect game, Buehrle became the twenty-fourth pitcher to throw multiple no-hitters in a career. Oddly enough, the home plate umpire for both of Buehrle's gems was Eric Cooper.

Buehrle pitched the 18th perfect game in major league history on July 23, 2009.  He threw 76 of 116 pitches for strikes and fanned six in his second career no-hitter.  The 30-year-old left-hander became only the second pitcher to throw two no-hitters for the Chicago White Sox: Frank Smith did it against Detroit in 1905 and the Philadelphia Athletics in 1908. The only previous perfect game for the White Sox was by Charles Robertson at Detroit on April 30, 1922.

He and his wife Jamie have two children: a son named Braden (born July 2007) and a daughter named Brooklyn (born March 3, 2009).