Mark Buehrle will not be joining David Ortiz in the Hall of Fame this season. In fact, nobody will. Barry Bonds, Curt Schilling, and Sammy Sosa were all in their 10th and final year of eligibility. None of them reached the 75 percent threshold to enter Cooperstown and take their rightful place in baseball immortality.
All three players are surrounded by controversy. But their exclusion from the Hall of Fame, especially Bonds and Schilling left countless fans scratching their heads.
However, Mark Buehrle squeaked out just enough votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America to remain on the ballot. That in itself is a victory. This year was one of the toughest years to navigate in terms of Hall of Fame voting. The fact that Buehrle survived the cut increases his odds exponentially next season.
Believe it or not, his numbers stack up with a current Hall of Famer Tom Glavine. Buehrle and Glavine each have 14 seasons with 200+ innings pitched. In an era where the bullpen’s dominant the game having a reliable starter that can throw that many innings years in and year out is a huge luxury to have. Not too many other pitchers will even sniff 14 seasons of 200 or more innings.
Buehrle’s ERA+, which accounts for external factors like ballparks and opponents, is 117. That is just a tick below Glavine’s which sits at 118. For context, a score of 100 is league average.
Buehrle’s K/9 was 5.1. While that is slightly lower than Glavine’s 5.3 mark, the southpaw was notorious for pitching for contact. Buehrle also has three Gold Gloves to support his case. He is the only pitcher in MLB history to throw multiple no-hitters and win multiple Gold Gloves.
Mark Buehrle has tossed a no-hitter and a perfect game. Glavine has zero. Each pitcher also has one World Series title to their name. But Buehrle registered a save en route to winning his.
Glavine deservingly received a call to the hall in 2014. Judging by the career numbers Huehrle should also be receiving one in the near future.
MLB Network posted a graphic comparing the two pitchers and Ozzie Guillen chimed in on Twitter.
“Look at my boy being compared to one of the greatest,” the White Sox former skipper wrote. “Class Act I was lucky to have managed him. No wonder I won more than I lost thanks lefty.”
Look at my boy being compared to one the greatest. Class Act I was lucky to have managed him. No wonder I won more then I lost thanks lefty. pic.twitter.com/jEjK8TevZ6
— Ozzie Guillen (@OzzieGuillen) January 21, 2022
Guillen brings up a great point when talking about Buehrle. One of the main reasons Bond and Shilling were omitted was because of their checkered past and abrasive personalities. Buehrle is a salt-of-the-earth guy with a great sense of humor.
Another thing he has going more him is that not many pitchers will be on the ballot for the next few years. The only other pitchers on the ballot besides Buehrle will be Billy Wagner and Andy Pettitte. Pettitte had a steroid dustup. He admitted to using HGH twice in 2002 and once more in 2004 to recover from injuries. Despite issuing an apology the writers made it clear this year how they felt about players with baggage.
While this year’s voting left a sour taste in baseball fans’ mouths, White Sox fans can feel slightly better knowledge of their own has a decent shot of getting in at some point.
