Friday, July 24, 2009
Mark Buehrle is perfect.
My gym is nice. Among its amenities are exercise bikes with TV monitors. When my schedule allows, I like to watch Sox games while cycling. Yesterday, I got on the bike and tuned in to see Mark Buehrle pitch against the Rays. Early on, the only action was a Josh Fields grand slam – the defending AL champions just kept going down in order. After the top of the fifth, I decided I’d stay on the bike until they broke up the no-hitter. I kept pedaling and pedaling.
In the bottom of the sixth inning (maybe 70 minutes into the game), my left leg started to cramp up. I slowed down, but kept pedaling. Finally, at the end of the seventh, I got off the bike and limped into the locker room. I’m a superstitious baseball fan, but just could not keep pedaling.
My gym is nice. There is a large flat-screen TV in the locker room, surrounded by comfy chairs. I turned the game on for the top of the eighth. A guy who had dressed and was ready to leave, saw me sitting alone, drenched in sweat, watching the game. “Is that a no-hitter?” “Perfect game,” I replied. He immediately sat down. Within a couple of minutes, a dozen guys congregated around the set.
Buehrle works fast. We had been sitting maybe six minutes when the top of the ninth started. Ozzie made one defensive substitution for the inning, moving centerfielder Scott Podsednik to left and bringing in DeWayne Wise to play center. He’d been in the game less than a minute when he pulled that home run in from over the centerfield wall. The crowd must have been deafening; we were certainly shouting with joy. A minute later, Alexei Ramirez scooped up the final grounder and Buehrle was mobbed by a sea of black jerseys. It was the second greatest baseball game I’ve ever seen, behind only the 2005 Series clincher.
Thank you, Mark Buehrle, for being sufficiently awesome to overcome my failed attempt to pedal you to perfection.
My gym is nice. Among its amenities are exercise bikes with TV monitors. When my schedule allows, I like to watch Sox games while cycling. Yesterday, I got on the bike and tuned in to see Mark Buehrle pitch against the Rays. Early on, the only action was a Josh Fields grand slam – the defending AL champions just kept going down in order. After the top of the fifth, I decided I’d stay on the bike until they broke up the no-hitter. I kept pedaling and pedaling.
In the bottom of the sixth inning (maybe 70 minutes into the game), my left leg started to cramp up. I slowed down, but kept pedaling. Finally, at the end of the seventh, I got off the bike and limped into the locker room. I’m a superstitious baseball fan, but just could not keep pedaling.
My gym is nice. There is a large flat-screen TV in the locker room, surrounded by comfy chairs. I turned the game on for the top of the eighth. A guy who had dressed and was ready to leave, saw me sitting alone, drenched in sweat, watching the game. “Is that a no-hitter?” “Perfect game,” I replied. He immediately sat down. Within a couple of minutes, a dozen guys congregated around the set.
Buehrle works fast. We had been sitting maybe six minutes when the top of the ninth started. Ozzie made one defensive substitution for the inning, moving centerfielder Scott Podsednik to left and bringing in DeWayne Wise to play center. He’d been in the game less than a minute when he pulled that home run in from over the centerfield wall. The crowd must have been deafening; we were certainly shouting with joy. A minute later, Alexei Ramirez scooped up the final grounder and Buehrle was mobbed by a sea of black jerseys. It was the second greatest baseball game I’ve ever seen, behind only the 2005 Series clincher.
Thank you, Mark Buehrle, for being sufficiently awesome to overcome my failed attempt to pedal you to perfection.
Comments:
Buehrle broke the MLB record for most consecutive batters before the Sox did what they usually do in the Metrodome -- implode.
The new record is now 45 consecutive batters retired.
Post a Comment
The new record is now 45 consecutive batters retired.
