As White Sox prepare to retire No. 56, Buehrle still in disbelief
In his 16 seasons as a major-league pitcher, the first 12 spent with the Chicago White Sox, nothing ever seemed to rattle Mark Buehrle.
The soft-tossing lefty never stressed when in a jam, and he was easy going on the field and in the clubhouse.
Buehrle never enjoyed being in the spotlight, and that's why he's a little off his game approaching Saturday afternoon, when the White Sox are going to retire his uniform No. 56.
"A complete disaster," Buehrle said of his emotional state. "I don't think I've been so nervous in my life before leading up to something for this long, losing sleep. Public speaking is probably my worst fear and I have to get out there. Try to soak it in, try to have fun with it."
Buehrle had more fun than most playing baseball, and he is looking forward to becoming just the 11th player in Sox history to have his number retired.
"My kids keep asking me, 'Dad why are you so nervous? Just go out there and talk,'" Buehrle said. "It's going to be awesome. Probably won't remember most of it until I watch it on video a little bit later. Just try to go out there and soak it in."
A capacity crowd is expected at Guaranteed Rate Field to salute one of the greatest players in franchise history.
"I'm thinking about the constant years of service at 200-plus innings," said Don Cooper, who took over as White Sox pitching coach on July 22, 2002. "If you do it for more than two, three years, you're pretty good. You do it for as many years as he did it, you've go to be a stud.
"Reliable, consistent, dependable, winner, good guy, unflappable, these are words that come to mind when I think about him."
A 38th-round draft pick out of Jefferson (Mo.) Community College, Buehrle pitched for the Sox from 2000-11, going 161-119 while logging over 200 innings in each full season.
Buehrle was a key piece on the White Sox's 2005 World Series championship team, and he also pitched a perfect game and no-hitter.
Still, the workhorse pitcher doesn't think he is worthy of having his number retired. That is vintage Buehrle.
"It doesn't really make sense, to be honest with you," he said. "Trying to wrap my head around it. I watched Frank Thomas as a kid growing up and even when I came here and played with him, I couldn't believe it. I'm like a fan of Frank Thomas, who's right there.
"It just doesn't make sense that I'm up there with those guys. I went out there and tried to do what I could do every day and had fun with it and obviously had a good, long successful career. And now here we are getting my number retired. I can't really explain it. It's pretty hard."
Buehrle retired after the 2015 season, his third with the Toronto Blue Jays. He also pitched for the Miami Marlins in 2012 and finished his career with a 214-160 record and 3.81 ERA.
Buehrle said he doesn't miss baseball at all, and is enjoying being at home with his wife Jamie, 9-year-old son Braden and 8-year-old daughter Brooklyn.
He's also playing beer league softball on Sunday nights back home in St. Charles, Mo., but Buehrle is now a first baseman and cleanup hitter.
Braden is going to sing the national anthem Saturday before the White Sox play the A's, and Brooklyn will throw the ceremonial first pitch to her dad.
"I enjoy being home and running the kids around and doing all the stuff we're doing," Buehrle said. "I haven't really missed (baseball) at all."