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

Another White Sox Pitching Gem: Mark Buehrle's Perfect Game

JULY 23, 2009

It  had only happened 17 times before (and I was there back in 1983 when Milt Wilcox of the Detroit Tigers almost threw one against the White Sox.  You can read about that game in my Down Da Road I Go blog.).

On this date, Mark Buehrle became the 18th pitcher in MLB history to throw a perfect game when he shut out the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0.

Buehrle was helped by  Dewayne Wise in the top of the 9th inning when he made the catch of his career, leaping above the wall in left-center to snare a ball hit by Gabe Kapler.  On the way down, he started to lose the ball, then snatched it out of the air with his other hand as he tumbled to the ground.  That ball would have been a home run.

Wise had been inserted in the ninth inning as a defensive replacement, so this play-- among the  best in White Sox and baseball history -- was his first action of the game.

Buehrle completed his perfect game in just two hours and three minutes -- the exact same amount of time it took for his no-hitter in 2007.  He became only the fourth pitcher in MLB to ever throw a perfect game and a no-hitter (April 18, 2007), joining Cy Young, Sandy Koufax and Randy Johnson in that category.

Afterwards, Buehrle got a call from President Barack Obama, a big White Sox  fan.

And, I had a personal experience with Buehrle's perfect game that I will write about in the next post.

--CootFect

This Date White Sox History: Hoyt Wilhelm

Even as I am fed up with the futility of this year's White Sox team, they stink, I am still a Sox fan and on July 23 two major pitching gems occurred in Sox history.

Both of them I remember very well.

JULY 23, 1968

White Sox relief pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm appeared at both ends of a double header against the Red Sox at Comiskey Park (it is still Comiskey Park to me).  The future Hall of Famer set the record for most appearances by a pitcher and broke Cy Young's record of 905 games.  "Old Tilt" would appear in a staggering 1,070 games before he retired.

Chicago split the two games with Boston.

In Wilhelm's six years with the Sox, he won 41 games and saved 98 others, while producing  some astonishing low ERAs considering he threw the knuckleball, a very slow-moving baseball.  His highest ERA between 1963 and 968 was  2.64.  Every other season he was below 2.00!!

Clearly, he was the top relief pitcher of the 1960s.

I remember he taught Sox pitcher Wilbur Wood how to throw the knuckleball and Woods went on to be impressive as well.

That Hoyt!  What a Pitcher.  --CootKnuck

(N)opening Day-- Part 7: Japan and a World Series Year

MARCH 29, 2000

In the first Major League game played outside of North America, the Cubs rode Jon Lieber's arm and Shane Andrews' bat to a 5-3 victory over the Mets in front of 55,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

Lieber allowed one run on five hits  in seven innings and Andrews belted a two run homer in the seventh and Mark Grace had a solo shot in the eighth to give Don Baylor the victory in his managerial debut.

2016

Jake Arrieta, coming off his Cy Young Award-winning season, pitched seven innings of two-hit baseball in 1 9-0 victory over the Angels  in Anaheim.  He held Albert Pujols and Mike Trout to a combined 0-6 with three strikeouts.

This was the first of the 103 regular season wins the Cubs had  that year on their way to winning their first NL Central title since 2008.

Then as you know, they went on to win their first World Series since 1908.

That Sure Was Some Fun Year.  --Cooter

Al Spalding-- Part 1: Mighty Big Name in Early MLB

On March 30, I wrote about the Chicago White Stockings (now the Cubs) winning their season opener in 1876 behind the pitching of their manager-pitcher Al Spalding.  Well, this name sounded familiar in sporting goods so I did some further research and what a baseball player this guy was.

From Wikipedia.

ALBERT GOODWILL SPALDING  (September 2, 1850-September9, 1915)

Baseball pitcher, player, manager and executive and co-founder of A.G. Spalding sporting goods company.  Born and raised in Byron, Illinois, and graduated high school in Rockford, Illinois.    Played Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1878.  He started a trend when he started wearing a baseball glove.

After his retirement as a player, he became active as an executive and owner of the Chicago White Stockings (who are today's Chicago Cubs).With William Hulburt, he organized the National League and later called for a commission which determined that baseball had been invented by Abner Doubleday (second in command at Fort Sumter when it surrendered to the Confederates and later Union general).  He also wrote the first set of baseball rules.

--CootBall

Greatest Cubs Team Ever-- Part 5: Starting Pitcher

These men were nominated for voting in the Chicago Tribune.  And you can vote by going to www.chicagotribune.com/greatest.

JAKE ARRIETA--  In 2015 won National league Cy YoungAward with one of the best seasons ever by a modern-day pitcher.  Led the major leagues with 22 victories, including three shut outs.  Struck out 236 and ERA of 1.77.

MORDECAI "THREE-FINGER" BROWN--  Hall of Famer won 20 or more games in six consecutive seasons from 1906-1911  Career best and league leading 27 games in 1909.  Second-most Cubs wins with 188.

FERGIE JENKINS--  Starting with his first season in 1967, won 20+ games in six straight seasons.  NL Cy Young Award in 1971 with 24-13 record.

GREG MADDUX--  In 10 seasons with the Cubs, won 15+ games six times, including a 20-win season in 1992 when he won the Cy Young Award.

CHARLIE ROOT--  Most wins in a Cubs uniform with 201.  Led majors in wins in 1927 with 26, and had 10 seasons with 13+ wins. Also Cubs leader with 3,137 innings pitched.

I would have to go with Charlie Root first and Fergie Jenkins second.

--CootRoot

Cubs Home Opener Today-- Part 3: Retired Numbers

Here is a list of Cubs retired numbers...all greats. Amazing how many of these number are from those great late 60s teams.

#10-- Ron Santo

#14 Ernie Banks

#23 Ryne Sandberg (manager of the Phillies who the Cubs are playing today and should have been the Cubs MANAGER!!!!)

#31 Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux.

Love Those Cubs. --Cooter