Buehrle sees 9% boost in 6th year on Hall of Fame ballot

CHICAGO -- Mark Buehrle had his strongest support as part of the Hall of Fame balloting from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, as the left-handed hurler finished with 20 percent of the vote and 85 votes in his sixth year on the ballot.

Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones, who was a teammate of Buehrle’s with the 2010 White Sox, were the two players elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, as announced by MLB Network on Tuesday night. Beltrán received 84.2 percent of the vote and Jones received 78.4, with 75 percent needed for election.

Buehrle’s 16-year career -- including 12 seasons with the White Sox, three with the Blue Jays and one with the Marlins -- ranged from infinitely steady and consistent to a true All-Star level, with White Sox general manager Chris Getz adding more to the depiction.

“For the ease in which he went about everything and still was a top performer in the game, I think it’s what stands out,” Getz said of Buehrle, behind whom he played in 2008-09 as a second baseman with the White Sox. “That level of looseness, and I say that with a tremendous amount of respect. It’s not a discredit at all. But it allows you to relax and stay focused and perform at your best, as well.

“So he made it fun. So often, it’s intense, there’s pressure. And to have someone that could smile in between pitches or in the dugout or in between starts, that level of ease was really refreshing. It made it more enjoyable to go out there and play. Through that ease and relaxation, you were able to play well behind him.”

Beginning in 2001, Buehrle posted 15 straight seasons with double-digit victories, at least 198 innings pitched and at least 30 starts. He pitched 198 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays in 2015, marking Buehrle’s final campaign and leaving him 1 1/3 innings short of throwing 200 innings in 15 straight seasons.

His highest American League Cy Young Award finish was fifth in 2005, when Buehrle helped the White Sox capture their first World Series title in 88 seasons. Buehrle posted a 16-8 record with a 3.12 ERA in ’05, eventually throwing seven innings in Game 2 of the World Series and then coming back to get the save in the 14th inning of Game 3. A lone brush with 20 victories came in ‘02, when he finished 19-12 after losing an eighth-inning lead in Minnesota during his last start.

Buehrle made five All-Star appearances and earned four Gold Glove Awards. He also no-hit the Rangers at U.S. Cellular Field in 2007, threw a perfect game against the Rays at home in '09 and even homered against the Brewers in '09.

Buehrle ranks among the White Sox leaders in a number of notable categories, including wins (sixth with 161), innings (seventh with 2,476 2/3), strikeouts (fourth with 1,396) and pitching wins above replacement (seventh with 48.9, per Baseball-Reference). He posted a 3.83 ERA and a 120 ERA+ with 27 complete games and eight shutouts over his 12 seasons with Chicago.

“Everyone talks about the pace at which he operated. When things didn’t go well, nothing would change,” Getz said. “You know as a defender, OK, if I made a mistake, it wasn’t going to change our relationship, so to speak.

“You are locked in because it was on to the next pitch, he never shook anyone off. He was also fundamentally so good. The way that he got off the mound, the way that he held runners, the quickness to the plate. He attacked the zone. He could pitch to contact, but he could get swing and miss. It’s like everything you want out of a player embodied.”

Other players with White Sox connections receiving votes were Manny Ramirez, Jimmy Rollins, Omar Vizquel and Edwin Encarnación. Buehrle received 11 percent of the vote in his first year on the ballot in 2021, followed by 5.8 percent (’22), 10.8 percent (’23), 8.3 percent (’24) and 11.4 percent (’25).

“He was the most reliable pitcher that I ever played with, and I played behind some top pitchers in the game,” Getz said. “Buehrle was just so consistent, and at the very least, you knew even if he gave up runs, he was going six, seven innings for you that day.”