Sports

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Mark Buehrle has accomplished one of the rarest feats in all of sports: a perfect game.

The White Sox pitcher shut down the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-0 on Thursday.

Early on it looked like another day at the office for the efficient Buehrle. He was racing through the Rays lineup with ease.

VIDEO: Mark Buehrle, Ozzie Guillen Post-Game Comments
VIDEO: President Obama Calls To Congratulate Buehrle

By the seventh inning, something special was happening.

There was a tense moment in the ninth inning, when Dewayne Wise made a spectacular catch at the wall in left center field to preserve Buehrle's gem. Wise sprinted into deep to the wall to take away what would have been a home run off the bat of Gabe Kapler.

The ball almost came out when Wise caromed off the fence, stumbled, fell to the ground and rolled. But he bounced right up, proudly displaying the ball for the crowd in his bare left hand.

"I was just hoping it didn't have enough distance to get out of here," Buehrle said.

"Never say never in this game, because crazy stuff can happen."

One out away from history, the Rays' Jason Bartlett hit a grounder to shortstop Alexei Ramirez, who threw him out. And the celebration began.

Buehrle becomes the 18th pitcher in big league history to throw a perfect game.

"Everybody was in tears,'' said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. "It couldn't happen to a better guy."

President Barack Obama who is headed to Chicago Thursday for a fund-raiser learned about Buehrle's perfect game via e-mail from a White House staffer. The president called Buehrle personally to congratulate him, pulling him out of the postgame press conference, saying it was an unbelievable achievement.

"As a fan it's extraordinary," Obama said. "When you're a White Sox fan and know the guy who did it makes it even more fun."

Buehrle began to sense something special was happening around the sixth inning. He did his best to keep his emotions in check, although he admitted he let a few pitches get away from him.

"You can't let the crowd get you too amped up,'' he said.

Buehrle made history by throwing a no hitter back in April 2007 and bought the team watches.

"This one will be a bit more expensive,'' he said.

He outdid himself today by not allowing a single Tampa Bay base runner. It's just the second time it's happened in franchise history.

The last White Sox pitcher to throw a perfect game was Charles Robertson on April 30, 1922 in a game versus Detroit.

Buehrle felt that his breaking ball and changeup were key. "It was kinda weird, I didn't throw too many fastballs,'' he said.

There have been 18 perfect games in MLB history. The last one was Randy Johnson in 2004.

Buehrle went to three-ball counts on just four batters, including 3-0 to Bartlett in the sixth. Bartlett took the next two pitches for strikes, fouled one off and then hit a routine grounder to Ramirez. As the shortstop threw to first, those in the crowd of 28,036, sensing history, cheered loudly.

Sox fans were biting their nails as Buehrle got closer and closer to pitching a perfect game. But after the final outcome, they were ecstatic about the amazing achievement.

"This was awesome. I'm definitely a Chicago fan. The stadium was loud, it was blasting," a fan said.

"Tremendous game, playoff atmosphere," another fan said. "We were walking out and a guy said, 'They make movies about games like this.'"

"Words can't describe it. It was one of the most amazing feelings. To have a ticket that's something in the history-making is quite amazing," a fan said.

"It was incredible. The crowd was incredible. The vibe was incredible. I feel very honored to have been here. That's just awesome," another fan said.

With the victory, the White Sox now move into a tie for first place in the Central Division with the Detroit Tigers.

CBS 2's Ryan Baker and Mike Puccinelli contributed to this report.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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