Thursday, July 22, 2004
High-scoring Cleveland was held to two hits by the Chicago pitcher.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Mark Buehrle was pretty close to perfect.
Buehrle pitched a two-hitter, retiring the first 19 straight and facing the minimum 27 batters to lead the Chicago White Sox over the Cleveland Indians 14-0 Wednesday night.
Buehrle (10-3), who was miffed he didn't make the AL All-Star team earlier this month, didn't allow a runner until Omar Vizquel lined a 3-2 pitch out of the reach of shortstop Jose Valentin with one out in the seventh.
"He faced the minimum, that doesn't happen very often," White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko said. "That team was as hot as anyone in the world, so that's pretty impressive."
Buehrle struck out four and walked none for his fifth career shutout and first complete game since last Aug. 8.
All in the past
He had entered just 4-6 in 13 starts against Cleveland, and his 5.38 career ERA coming in against the Indians was his highest against any opponent.
That didn't matter. He dominated from the start, handling baseball's highest-scoring team with ease.
"It was the most impressive outing against us all year," said first baseman Lou Merloni. "He didn't have to make many pitches to get us out. He got an early cushion and then was throwing strike after strike."
Buehrle was remarkably efficient, throwing 67 of 90 pitches for strikes. And he even tempted fate, breaking one of baseball's unwritten rules by talking about his perfect game in the dugout while it was still intact.
"Guys were like, 'What are you doing?' " he said. "I didn't care. It's not that big of a deal."
The Indians were as talkative as Buehrle.
"Guys yelled about it on every at-bat to jinx him," third baseman Casey Blake said. "But he had his way with us."
Carlos Lee homered twice, and Valentin added a two-run shot for the White Sox, who blew it open with a six-run fifth and finished with 19 hits.
Half-game back
Chicago, which remained a half-game behind AL Central-leading Minnesota, had lost nine of its previous 15. But like they've done all season, the White Sox hit behind Buehrle, who is getting nine runs per game from his offense.
The last time the Indians were shut out so decisively was a 14-0 loss at Yankee Stadium in 1992.
Cliff Lee (10-2) gave up seven runs and nine hits in four innings, losing for the first time in nine starts since June 3.
"They put it to me pretty good," he said. "I wasn't that bad; they were that good. They hit any pitch in any count."
Buehrle wasn't intimidated by an Indians' lineup that hit 23 homers in its previous eight games. He only went to three balls on one hitter before the single by Vizquel, who was erased by a double play.
Tim Laker led off the eighth with a single for Cleveland's other hit but he, too, was erased by a double play.