The Chicago White Sox are making June 24 a special day this coming summer, as they will have a number retirement ceremony for former All-Star Mark Buehrle:
The White Sox will honor Mark Buehrle on June 24th by retiring his #56 jersey during a special tribute before first pitch. pic.twitter.com/HscCnwZ10S
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) February 23, 2017
Buehrle retired after the 2015 season. He spent the last three years with the Blue Jays after one year with the Marlins. He’ll always be known to baseball fans as a White Sox pitcher, though. He pitched for the club for 12 years, going 161-119 with a 3.83 ERA (120 ERA+). He led the league in innings twice while making the All-Star team four times with the White Sox. A remarkable blend in durability and performance, Buehrle pitched at least 200 innings in each of his 11 full seasons with the White Sox.
Buehrle ranks sixth in White Sox history in wins, seventh in innings, fourth in strikeouts and seventh in WAR among pitchers.
There is, of course, the 2005 World Series championship. In the ALCS that year, he allowed only one run in a complete-game victory in Game 2. In Game 2 of the World Series, Buehrle worked seven innings, allowing four runs. He also picked up the save in the 14th inning of Game 3.
Further, Buehrle was more than his numbers. He was an exceptional defender who could make plays like this:
He’s also one of 28 players in history with multiple no-hitters, which includes a perfect game (one of just 23 pitchers to do so).
Buehrle’s 56 being retired means it joins Nellie Fox (2), Harold Baines (3), Luke Appling (4), Minnie Minoso (9), Luis Aparicio (11), Paul Konerko (14), Ted Lyons (16), Billy Pierce (19), Frank Thomas (35) Carlton Fisk (72) and the universally-retired 42 of Jackie Robinson for the White Sox.
