Buehrle has to wait a day to start Sox opener

If Mark Buehrle were a car, he'd probably be stashed on the back of the lot, marked down for a quick sale due to heavy-duty mileage.

"I've been pitching (with) pain and stiffness for 10 years," Buehrle said. "Anytime you go out there and throw a lot of innings, you're going to be sore and there's going to be some pain and everything else."

With Monday's season opener pushed back a day due to weather, the White Sox' 30-year-old left-hander will be on the mound at U.S. Cellular Field on Tuesday afternoon against the Kansas City Royals.

Even through all the aches and pains, Buehrle has made a mockery of the term workhorse starting pitcher.

In addition to preparing for his seventh opening-day start, which will tie him with Billy Pierce for most in franchise history, check out the staggering load Buehrle has carried since 2001:

• He has pitched 1,796⅓ innings over the last eight seasons - the most in major-league baseball.

• He has delivered 170 quality starts, also the tops in baseball. Overall, Buehrle's 265 starts ranks fourth.

• He's the only pitcher in the game to pitch at least 200 innings every year since 2001.

• He's the only pitcher in White Sox history to make 30 or more starts in eight straight seasons.

It's worth noting that the pride of St. Charles, Mo., has never been on the disabled list.

That might be the most impressive item on Buehrle's long list of accomplishments, but it didn't quell talk that he was breaking down this spring.

Buehrle hasn't pushed it during the exhibition season for years, but there was speculation that this spring was different.

Between missing a week to be with his newborn daughter and taking it easy after returning to camp, Buehrle pitched just 18 innings over the longest spring-training in memory.

One published report strongly suggested Buehrle was hurting and wouldn't be ready to pitch today's opener.

Any thoughts, Mark?

"No, I never thought I was going to miss (Tuesday's) start," Buehrle said.

Neither did White Sox manager Guillen, although he was prepared to push Buehrle back in the rotation if necessary.

"Buehrle will be fine," Guillen said. "It was kind of a weird spring for him. He missed (a long time) because of his baby. When he got back in town, his baby was 3 years old already.

"Then he got set back because he was sore. Not sore; he was stiff. The last two outings he was great. We had a Plan B just in case he couldn't go, but I don't worry about him."

In his last spring outing (March 31 against Colorado), Buehrle allowed 1 unearned run over 6 innings.

Expect him to continue piling up innings - and wins - when the season starts Tuesday.

"If I had my say-so, I'd go down there (spring training) for 3 or 4 starts, maybe," Buehrle said. "It doesn't take me long to get ready.

"I don't throw much in the off-season. I take off a lot in the off-season and use spring training to get ready. If I had to get ready and do no spring training, it wouldn't take me long."