Mark Buehrle has been a fan-favourite everywhere he’s played.
While he captured the hearts of Toronto Blue Jays fans in just three short seasons with the club, his baseball home has always been Chicago.
Buehrle made at least 30 starts in 11 consecutive seasons with the Chicago White Sox between 2001 and 2011. He was a four-time all-star, won three gold gloves, tossed the 16th no-hitter in team history and won a World Series in 2005.
The White Sox acknowledged Buehrle’s long-list of accomplishments by retiring his No. 56 jersey ahead of Saturday’s matchup against the Oakland Athletics.
Here are three of the best moments from ‘Buehrle Day.’
Braden sings the anthem
Nine-year-old Braden Buehrle took over the microphone after his father finished his four-plus minute speech, thanking the White Sox organization and fans. The young man showed no signs of nerves and sang his heart out.
Not only did he receive praise for his outstanding vocal performance, but got some love for his efficient rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner as well.
For perspective, country star Luke Brian’s 2:04 rendition at Super Bowl 51 was actually under the proposed prop bet of 2:09.
Brooklyn gets first pitch
Buehrle was never known for lighting up the radar gun. In fact, he was known for quite the opposite. The southpaw managed to pitch 3,283 major-league innings and record 1,870 strikeouts with a mid-to-high-80s fastball.
When Buehrle’s eight-year-old daughter, Brooklyn, came out to throw the first pitch, the White Sox had some fun at her father’s expense.
According to Scott Merkin of MLB.com, Buehrle said his daughter Brooklyn didn’t want to throw the ceremonial first pitch as of three days ago. And it wasn’t because she was afraid to step out in front of 40,000 people.
“She’s such a sweetheart that she’s afraid she’s going to throw harder than her daddy is going to,” Buehrle said. According to the video board, she did just that.
Bravo, White Sox production team.
Mark Buehrle, cleanup hitter
Buehrle spent just one of his 16 seasons in the National League when he pitched for the Miami Marlins in 2012. He collected three hits and zero walks in 71 plate appearances that year.
He picked up six other hits throughout the rest of his career during interleague play — one of them was a solo home run.
Well, with his major-league career now in the rear-view, Buehrle has settled into his new role as a feared beer league hitter.
St. Louis beer league pitchers beware: this left-handed cleanup hitter could be coming to a diamond near you.
While the ceremony was something White Sox fans will remember for some time, the game was quite forgettable. The Athletics took an early 6-0 lead and went on to win 10-2.
