Wise's catch preserves Buehrle's perfect game

Obvious question, even more obvious answer.

"By far, under the circumstances and a perfect game on the line, it's the best catch I ever made," White Sox center fielder Dewayne Wise said Thursday.

According to his manager, coaches, teammates and even broadcaster Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, Wise's catch on Gabe Kapler's drive leading off the ninth inning was one of the best catches in major-league history.

And without it, Sox starting pitcher Mark Buehrle never becomes the 18th pitcher in major-league history to toss a perfect game.

"As a defensive player, you think about doing something like that for your

teammates, and there's not a more overwhelming positive experience than doing something like that for your teammates," Kapler said. "You visualize something like that. That's the only way you make a play like he made, by seeing it happen before it happens."

Kapler's teammate Pat Burrell was equally effusive in his praise for Wise, who pulled back a certain home run, juggled the ball and then grabbed it with his left hand.

"He might wake up tomorrow with a new car in his driveway," Burrell said. "That's the thing, you usually don't make defensive replacements when everything is perfect, but hey, it worked."

Did it ever.

After the eighth inning, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen inserted Wise into the game, moving Scott Podsednik to left field and taking out Carlos Quentin, who just returned Monday from a foot injury.

It didn't take Wise long to get involved.

Kapler rocketed a 2-2 pitch to left-center and Wise took off after the ball.

"As I was running for it, I knew I had a shot at it," Wise said. "I was just glad it hung up there long enough to give me a chance to make the catch."

Before realizing he had a chance, Wise knew it was going to be a difficult play.

"Right away, I took my eyes off it because I wanted to make up some ground," he said. "But I looked up and said, 'Wow, this might be one of those plays where I have to run through the wall to catch it or try to rob a home run.' "

The center-field wall at U.S. Cellular Field is still standing, and Wise did take a home run away.

"Everything was going quick," Wise said. "It was like I caught the ball and hit the wall at the same time. I couldn't really feel it going into my glove, so I thought it was falling. I saw it slowly rolling out of my glove, and that's when I stuck my left hand out there and caught it."

It's a catch that won't soon be forgotten.

"Dewayne Wise might (have made) the best play I've ever seen in my life," rookie third baseman Gordon Beckham said. "I jumped about 10 feet in the air. I was like a little girl in the schoolyard. It was crazy. I couldn't even look at Buehrle when I threw the ball back to him after we threw it around. I made sure to look down when I threw it to him because I didn't want him to see it."