The chants of “Buehrle” started as a video tribute wrapped up.
Moments later, Mark Buehrle’s family unveiled the latest statue of a Chicago White Sox great at Rate Field. This one displayed the left-hander delivering the final pitch of Game 3 of the 2005 World Series.
The Sox honored Buehrle with the statue ahead of the second game of a split doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians.
“It turned out great,” Buehrle said. “We had some different pictures. They threw some ideas out there. Obviously, it would’ve been cool to do the tarp slide, but they already had the bobblehead. But that signifies and or shows the World Series, that’s one thing that — yes, all the individual stuff is awesome, but the whole goal is to bring a World Series to the team you’re playing (for), the city you’re at, and that’s what we accomplished.
“I was wanting something with the World Series emblem, something to remember from that.”
Buehrle wasn’t sure he could find the words to describe the tribute.
“You don’t play the game for any of this,” Buehrle said. “I went out there and played because I loved baseball, loved competing. All the numbers and all that stuff comes of it. But you never think of this number retirement, statue. I can’t even wrap my head around it. It doesn’t make sense.
“I can’t think of the right words to say to show my gratitude and thankfulness for this honor. It’s amazing.”
The honor occurred during the team’s 2005 championship reunion weekend.
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“It’s awesome to see them,” he said. “I haven’t talked to them very often. Catching up with them and seeing how everybody’s doing, it’s awesome.”
Teammates reflected on their time with Buehrle ahead of Friday’s presentation.
“Great teammate, great leader,” outfielder Jermaine Dye said. “Definitely someone you’d want on your ballclub to lead a pitching staff and be that No. 1 starter and give him that ball at any point in time — as you saw in the World Series. Not only did he start for us, but he did come in late in a game in extra innings and get that job done too.
“I joked with him when I saw him, I told him, man, it takes you getting a statue to get you out of the house. He kind of stays to himself and stays on his farm and hangs out there. It’s pretty special to see him unveil that statue.”
Buehrle tossed the 18th perfect game in Major League Baseball history on July 23, 2009, against the Tampa Bay Rays.
He played a crucial role during the 2005 postseason, recording a complete-game victory in Game 2 of the ALCS against the Los Angeles Angels and earning the save in Game 3 of the World Series after starting Game 2.
Buehrle won 161 games over 12 seasons with the Sox.
The Sox selected Buehrle in the 38th round of the 1998 MLB draft. He ranks fourth among franchise leaders in strikeouts (1,396), starts (365) and quality starts (231), sixth in wins and seventh in innings pitched (2,476 2/3).
“Mark’s obviously one of our favorites, everyone’s favorite,” catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. “I’m happy for him to get a statue. It’s well-deserved. I’m happy for Mark, I’m happy we’re all here to see it.”
In addition to the perfect game, Buehrle threw a no-hitter on April 18, 2007, against the Texas Rangers.
Pierzynski said catching Buehrle was “fast, which was the best.”
“He was one of my favorites,” Pierzynski said. “Mark was the best, he didn’t shake. He got the ball, he didn’t do scouting reports. He just got it and threw it. That’s the way I wish all pitchers were. You look at a guy like Chris Sale, that’s what he does because he learned from Mark. John Danks, he learned from Mark. And Mark was just the best. He was so fun to catch. Prayed for him on getaway day because we knew it would be under three hours — now it’s changed, he’d probably be under an hour-and-a-half with the pitch clock.
“He was a great teammate, a great guy and I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Buehrle put in work throughout his career, pitching at least 200 innings for 14 consecutive seasons while with the Sox, Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays. He finished with 214 wins and a 3.81 ERA during his 16-year major-league career, earning five All-Star selections.
Pierzynski believes Buehrle has a Hall of Fame case. He received 11.4% during the most recent round of voting.
“I want all my teammates to get in because then I’d be invited to go to the Hall of Fame,” Pierzynski said. “If I had a vote, I’d vote for Mark because I played with him for a long time, I faced him for a long time.
“If you asked him, he’d say, ‘I don’t know. I don’t pay attention.’ Which he 100% genuinely doesn’t. But yeah, of course I want him to get in the Hall of Fame.”
Scott Podsednik recalled his first experience in left field during a spring training game with Buehrle and how players had to be ready to go.
“I saw pitch one and I didn’t see the second pitch because I was leaning down and I had no idea how fast he worked,” Podsednik said. “He had delivered pitch two while I was looking around, I heard a big pop and I looked up.”
Podsednik said Buehrle was the ideal pitcher to play behind.
“What that guy did on the field and the person he was off the field, he came to the ballpark and was going to give you everything he had night in and night out,” Podsednik said. “As a defense playing behind that, that’s what you want. Here it is, I’m going to give you my best. Good or bad. And you have to respect that as a competitor.
“He’s had some marvelous years here on the South Side.”
In describing the connection with the fans, Buehrle said: “Honestly, when people are saying you’re worthy of this, you earned it — like, I didn’t earn it. You don’t go out there and play to earn a number retirement, statue. You go out there and just play to try to win the game, and maybe that’s why because I just left it all out there, I had fun, sliding on the tarp. In between my starts, I had to have fun because it got boring out there sitting on the bench for four hours.”
Buehrle spoke to the large crowd at the park after the unveiling.
He began his speech remembering former teammate Bobby Jenks, who died last week. He thanked his teammates, family and Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.
He wrapped it up with four words: “I love you, Chicago.”