Oh man, wouldn’t everyone want to be Buehrle’s shoes? EVERYONE wants to be in this dear man’s shoes. I mean just look at this guy. He has a gorgeous wife, won a World Series not too long ago, and hell, he threw a no-hitter in 2007.

But he just did something that topped them all (expect maybe the wife part), throwing a perfect game on this very date of July 23rd, and in the year of 2009.

He was the 18th pitcher to do such a feat, and nobody expected it. There are so many big names to do this, but it seems a guy named Mark Buehrle does not belong in that list. No doubt, Buehrle has to be the most underrated pitcher, if not player, in Major League Baseball.

You know, I think the Philadelphia Phillies would rather trade for Buehrle than Roy Halladay, am I right? Maybe not.

Buehrle also joins another group of members that have six people, a player who has thrown a no-hitter and a perfect game. He joins a valued group of players like Sandy Koufax, Cy Young, and Randy Johnson, as ESPN reported.

So, how do you feel about this Mark?

“I don’t know how to explain it,” he said. “I never thought I’d throw a no-hitter.”

Neither did many of us baseball fans. Nobody expected you to do any of this, coming from this observer. Also, look, Buehrle was guy selected in like the 40th round of the MLB amateur draft way back in 1998. Being drafted in like the 40th round, hell, nobody expects anyone to accomplish so many feats like Buehrle did.

But it wasn’t all Buehrle during that game. You have to give the props to Dewayne Wise, who unbelievably made an amazing catch that prevented a home run, and most importantly, perfection for Buehrle. Wise will always have taken a big part there.

Hell, if it weren’t for him, nobody will be talking about this perfect game.

Gabe Kapler was the man who almost ended Buehrle’s run. The 105th pitch of the game will always be remembered by true baseball fans. And true baseball fans will always remember the play Dewayne Wise made, to give Buehrle the perfect game.

So that makes it two for Wise. I bet he’ll be telling his kids that he saved Buehrle’s game. And what I meant by “that makes it two for Wise,” I meant that Wise has been a part of two perfect games.

Remember the perfect game The Big Unit had back  in 2004? Wise was part of that, but on the other end of the deal as he was the opponent. But it’s great to be on the same team as a pitcher for a perfect game.

Let’s see what the perfect-game hero said:

“I was with the Braves in ‘04 and I was there when Arizona’s Randy Johnson pitched a perfect game. So I’ve been on both sides of it,” he said. “It was probably the best catch I’ve ever made because of the circumstances.

“It was kind of crazy, man, because when I jumped, the ball hit my glove at the same time I was hitting the wall. So I didn’t realize I had caught it until I fell down and the ball was coming out of my glove, so I reached out and grabbed it.”

Also, props to Ozzie Guillen for switching in Wise.

“I guess that’s our job,” Guillen said.

Barrack Obama is a White Sox fan, who congratulated Buehrle as well. He said that many people will remember this forever. We all know Barrack will.

A big congrats to Mark Buehrle. Sometimes perfection can be bad, but when it comes to baseball and especially Mark Buehrle…sometimes baseball can actually be good.

Quotes were provided by ESPN.com

SCOTT JACOBS

Roy Halladay may be the best, but today Mark Buerhle was perfect.

Add that to a World Series ring, and a no hitter, and the fact that it was against the 2008 AL Champion Rays, and well, not bad Mark, not bad at all.

Just a few weeks removed from Johnathan Sanchez’s no hitter (though I would argue it should have been a perfect game), Buerhle went out and stifled a dangerous Rays lineup to the tune of a lights out performance for the ages.  Might we add it came in an important pennant chase with the Sox trailing the Tigers.

But that’s neither here nor there.  Buerhle’s stat line for the game: 116 pitches, 76 for strikes, and he only needed 6 strikeouts.  But don’t let the strikeouts fool you: Buerhle was the one fooling hitters all day, and this wasn’t the depleted Padres lineup that the previously unheralded Sanchez disposed of.  This was a dynamic Rays offense, a team 10 games above .500.

Jason Bartlett, one of a number of Rays all stars, grounded out to short, and cemented the perfect game, but it was the catch from Dewayne Wise, robbing Gabe Kapler of a sure home run, that will be immortalized for years to come.  You will see that catch over, and over, and over.  Wise ran up the wall in complete stride, and reached out to record the first out in the ninth, and from there, you just knew it was Buerhle’s day.

With the win, correct that– perfection, Buerhle improved to 11-3.  With the perfect game, the first since Randy Johnson’s stellar game against the Braves in 2004, Buerhle established himself as one of the game’s most underappreciated stars.  Seriously, he’s now gone two games in his career while retiring the minimum of 27 batters.  One being the no hitter, and today’s perfect game.

So congrats Buerhle.  For one day at least Roy Halladay is not the top story.