But, Back to Mark Buehrle Got Us Drenched-- Part 3: We Get All Wet

I had to stop for a day on the drenched chroncicles to write about Mark Buehrle's next pitching outing which got exciting as well.  Imagine pitching back-to-back perfect games.  Well, it didn't happen, but wow, wouldn't that have been something!

To set the story, we had remained at Chopper's (bar and grill) up on Channel Lake in Antioch, Illinois, to see if Burehrle would get the perfect game despite knowing that a nasty storm was blowing in.  (We were in our boat, School's Out... Forever!)  Had we left in the 8th inning, we might have made it home, but we stayed.  Hey, how often do you get the chance to see a perfect game?

It hadn't started raining yet, but there was plenty of lightning and thunder off in the distance and getting closer.

We, (Kevin, Kelly, Liz and myself) decided to make a run for it.  We left and walked rapidly to the boat, cast off and started on our way.  It started  drizzling about half way to the Illinois Route 173 bridge and got steadily harder until a downpour.  (At this time we decided we probably should have just stayed at Chopper's.  But, too late.)  

The wind also picked up as well.  We ended up taking cover under the bridge until the worst had passed over about fifteen minutes later.  The rain let up some, but was still coming down enough to soak us pretty well on the rest of our way home.

So, as you can see, it was all Mark Buehrle's fault we got drenched.

And, he never apologized.

Thanks A Lot, Mark.  --RoadWet

Today in White Sox History: Buehrle Almost Has Another Perfect Game!!

From the July 28, 2022, SB Nation site.

Mark Buehrle  was perfect through 5 2/3 innings against the Minnesota Twins.  This was his next start after pitching a perfect game his last time on the mound.  I have written a lot about that outing in the previous posts.

In so doing, he set a MLB record for most consecutibe batters retired at 45.

That streak had started when he got the last out in his July 18th win over Baltimore and added substantially on his July 23 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers which was a perfect game on July 23.

In so doing this, he broke the previous record mark of 41 set by  Jim Barr in 1971 and tied by Buehrle's teammate Bobby Jenks in 2007.

However, the Sox lost the game that Buehrle broke the record to the Twins 5-3.

Doggone Twinkies.  --Cooter

Mark Buehrle Got Us Drenched-- Part 2: But, the Perfect Game Was Worth It

We had some discussion about staying or leaving and it was decided to chance the storm and stay.  Here was a chance to see only the 18th ever perfect game in Major League Baseball.  And, of course, for me, it was the Chicago White Sox, making it even better.

Eighth inning and Buehrle still had the perfect game.  By now, we could hear the thunder and see the lightning and it was going to be a really bad storm for sure.  Come on Mark, either get this over with or give up a hit so we can get out of there.

We wanted the Sox to go down fast in their part of the eighth.  They did.  Three up, three down.

Now, we have the 9th.  Will he do it or not?  Huge clap of thunder really close by as Tampa came up to bat.  The TVs flickered and went off.  Oh, NO!!!  Not now.  No rain yet, but, oh, no.  Thankfully the TVs came back on with one out.  

What we didn't know was that when the TVs went off, Tampa player Gabe Kapler had hit what would have been a home run ball, but was caught by DeWayne Wise, who had been put in the game that inning for his defensive ability.  He lived up to that name and leaped high to catch the ball as it cleared the outfield stands.  One out.  And, I should mention that the collision with the wall knocked the ball out of his glove and he juggled it once or twice on the way down to the ground before he caught it.  WHOA!!!

Buehrle got the next two out easily and we had our perfect game.

And, We Haven't Even Gotten Wet Yet.  --Cooter

Mark Buehrle Got Us All Drenched-- Part 1

I remember July 23, 2009,very well.  We were out with our friends Kevin and Kelly in our boat that day and cruising the Chain O' Lakes here in northeastern Illinois.  And, it was a perfect day in the morning and part way through the afternoon, but we had warnings of a major storm hitting the area around mid-afternoon.

We were all the way up in the upper lakes and we decided to stop at one more place called Chopper's on Channel Lake in Antioch before heading home before the storm hit.  We were going to have just a drink and be on our way.  

The White Sox game was on and I was kind of watching it until I saw a stat that here in the 7th inning, the Sox pitcher, Mark Buehrle,  had not given up a hit.  Even better than that, no Tampa Bay batter had reached base.  In other words, A PERFECT GAME!!  

Well, a perfect game is just something I had to see, especially since the one I was at back in 1983 where the Tiger pitcher, Milt Wilcox,  had a perfect game until Jerry Hairston pinch hit a single with two outs in the 9th to blow my chance of being in attendance at a perfect game.  (To see their pictures and read about this game, go to my Down Da Road I Go blog.  By the way, even though I am a Sox fan, I was pulling all the way for Wilcox.)

Well, we would just have to stay and watch.   Storm or no storm.

Tomorrow.  --Cooter

By the way, congratulations to Mr. White Sox, Minnie Minoso, who was indcted into baseball's Hall of Fame today.  It's about time.