By Andrew Seligman
Associated Press
CHICAGO ó The 105th pitch of Mark Buehrle’s day broke in toward Gabe Kapler, who turned on it and connected. Buehrle looked up and knew ó his perfect game was in jeopardy.
Just in as a defensive replacement, Chicago White Sox center fielder DeWayne Wise sprinted a dozen strides toward the fence in left-center. What happened next would be either a moment of baseball magic or the ninth-inning end of Buehrle’s bid for perfection against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Wise jumped and extended his right arm above the top of the 8-foot fence. The ball landed in his glove’s webbing but then popped out for a split second as he was caroming off the wall and stumbling on the warning track. Wise grabbed it with his bare left hand, fell to the ground and rolled. He bounced up, proudly displaying the ball for the crowd.
Magic. A home run turned into an out.
His biggest threat behind him, Buehrle coolly closed out the 18th perfect game in major league history, a 5-0 victory Thursday.
“I was hoping it was staying in there, give him enough room to catch it,” said Buehrle, who has now thrown two no-hitters in his career. “I know the guys were doing everything they could to save the no-hitter, the perfect game, whatever it might be.”
Wise knew the stakes.
“I was with the Braves in ’04 and I was there when Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks pitched a perfect game,” Wise said. “So I’ve been on both sides of it. It was probably the best catch I’ve ever made because of the circumstances.
“It was kind of crazy 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.”
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was happy he made the switch to Wise, who came in at center while Scott Podsednik shifted to left and Carlos Quentin was pulled out.
“I guess that’s our job,” Guillen said.
Buehrle fell behind 3-1 to Michel Hernandez, the second batter in the ninth, who took a called strike and then swung and missed at strike three.
With fans chanting Buehrle’s name, Jason Bartlett got ahead 2-1, then grounded to shortstop Alexei Ramirez, who threw to first baseman Josh Fields. Buehrle put both hands on his head and was mobbed by teammates.
“Never thought I’d throw a no-hitter, never thought I’d throw a perfect game, never thought I’d hit a home run,” said Buehrle, who has done all three. “Never say never in this game because crazy stuff can happen.”
The pitcher received a congratulatory telephone call from President Barack Obama ó a White Sox fan ó following the 16th perfect game since the modern era began in 1900 and the first since Johnson’s on May 18, 2004.
Obama, a lefty like Buehrle, wore a White Sox jacket when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at last week’s All-Star game in St. Louis.
“I told him how surprised I was that he actually did it,” Buehrle said. “He said, ‘Congratulations, and it’s an honor. A lot of people are going to remember this forever.’ ”
Obama spoke with Buehrle ó a St. Charles, Mo., native ó in the AL clubhouse last week.
“As a fan, it’s extraordinary,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs quoted Obama as saying. “When you’re a White Sox fan and know the guy who did it, it makes it even more fun.”
Backed by Fields’ second-inning grand slam, Buehrle (11-3) threw 76 of 116 pitches for strikes and fanned six, helping Chicago move within a percentage point of Central-leading Detroit.
Kapler understood his role.
“That moment was magical for both Wise and Buehrle,” Kapler said, “and most guys earn those moments.”
In a 6-0 win over Texas on April 18, 2007, Buehrle also faced the minimum 27 batters. He walked Sammy Sosa in the fifth inning of that game, then picked him off two pitches later.
“I bought everyone watches after the last one,” Buehrle said. “That was an expensive no-hitter. This one will probably be more expensive.”
Buehrle, who went to three-ball counts on five batters Thursday, and Johnson are the only two active pitchers with a pair of no-hitters.
Toward the end, Buehrle’s wife, Jamie, was a wreck as she watched from the seats near home plate with 4-month-old daughter Brooklyn.
“I’m so proud of my husband, it’s unbelievable,” she said. “He just never ceases to amaze me. He keeps accomplishing more and more in his career.”