Mark Buerhle was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 38th round of the 1998 MLB Draft.
After making his Major League debut on July 16, 2000, Buehrle would go on to spend 16 seasons in the big leagues. 12 of those seasons came in Chicago, followed by three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays and one final season with the Miami Marlins.
In his 12 seasons on the Southside of Chicago, the left-hander whose pitch arsenal included a four-seam fastball, changeup, curve, and cutter was a four-time All-Star selection. He would later receive a fifth selection in Toronto. Additionally, Buehrle was a four-time Gold Glove winner as a pitcher due to the fact that he led the league in assists by a pitcher five times while wearing a WhiteSox uniform. He was also the ace of the team’s pitching staff that won the 2005 World Series.
Buerhle shares a pair of distinct honors in the franchise’s history. He is one of only two White Sox pitchers to record two no-hitters (April 18, 2007 and July 23, 2009), joining Frank Smith on the short list of players who accomplished a pair (1905 and 1906). However, Buerhle stands alone as the only pitcher in franchise history to record a no-hitter and a perfect game.
While his career numbers don’t jump off the pages of the record books, Buerhle epitomized efficiency. His games started were consistently among the quickest in total game time on a start after start and season after season basis.
Buehrle compiled 214 wins with a 3.81 career ERA over 3,283.1 innings pitched. He tallied 1,870 career strikeouts against 734 walks and led the league in both games started and total innings twice in 2004 and 2005. Other than his first and last Major League seasons, Buehrle recorded at least 200 innings pitched in every campaign.
For what he accomplished as a member of this ball club, Buehrle’s No. 56 jersey belongs among those retired by the White Sox in a memorable display of respect that will likely happen in the near future.
