The week in baseball: A perfect game for Mark Buehrle

July 31's trade deadline could see a few days of wheeling and dealing

It has been a lucky week to be a baseball fan. We’ve been treated to a perfect game, some big trades and even bigger trade rumors, and a shifting of power in the American League East. There has been a drought of big stories this season, so the drama of some fantastic games, coupled with the upcoming trade deadline gives columnists and sports enthusiasts fodder for conversation. Also, for once, it’s some good news (though, I’ll touch upon some turmoil caused by the New York Mets Vice President of Player Development Tony Bernazard). No steroids, no bad attitudes, no scandals at all. Yes, it’s been a fun week, and a week worth recapping as Yankee fans continue to celebrate their place atop the AL East, and Mets fans try to find other stories that can distract them from their disaster of a season. It’s been a story of the good, the bad, and the perfect.

Mark Buehrle’s Perfect Game

We haven’t seen one since Randy Johnson in 2004, and we’ve only seen 18 in the history of the majors. Buehrle, the White Sox hurler, pitched a perfect game - where he retired 27 batters without allowing a hit or a walk through the entire game - that ended in a terrific catch, blanking the defending American League champion Tampa Bay Rays.

This is one of the rarest of feats in baseball, behind some oddities that are actually kept on record. For instance, while a perfect game has only been accomplished 18 times, only two pitchers have pitched 20 or more consecutive scoreless innings, and only one pitcher has struck out ten consecutive batters in a game. A perfect game is not as rare as when a player hits four homeruns in a single game, which has only happened 15 times. As I said before, the last time we even saw a perfect game was when Randy Johnson, at 40 years of age, threw a gem against the Atlanta Braves on 117 pitches and 13 strikeouts. Buehrle’s perfect game ended after 116 pitches and six strikeouts and an incredible catch by DeWayne Wise.

Buehrle had two strikes and two balls on Gabe Kapler in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. Kapler looked tense as Buehrle had a long look at the plate. Catcher and former Met Ramon Castro set up to his right in the wind up. The pitch, a soft change-up, hit its mark- in the center of the plate. Kapler saw his chance and jumped on it as he delivered a homerun ball to center field. Wise was moving at the crack of the bat and sprinted toward the wall, leaping to the homerun line and scooping the ball out of there air as he tumbled forward, grabbing the loose ball from the air as he tumbled sideways. He jumped up, ball in hand, and let everybody in U.S. Cellular Field know that their hurler, Buehrle, accomplished something great. It was a perfect end to a perfect game.

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