MINNEAPOLIS — There will be no shortage of love and admiration flowing around Guaranteed Rate Field on Saturday, when the White Sox retire Mark Buehrle’s No. 56 before their game against the Athletics.
Pitching coach Don Cooper says Buehrle is his favorite pitcher. Broadcaster Ken Harrelson, who called most of Buehrle’s starts with the White Sox including Buehrle’s perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 23, 2009, calls him “my all-time favorite White Sox player.’’
High praise and affection, indeed.
“He’s something special,’’ Harrelson said Tuesday. “One of those guys you could tie him, but you can’t beat him. One of my favorite teammates, if not my all-time favorite, was Catfish Hunter. They’re like bookends, one left-handed, one right-handed, same size, same kind of humor, and neither one of them had s— [for stuff]. One’s in Cooperstown, and the other has a chance to get in Cooperstown.’’
Buehrle was always a huge fan favorite as well, and on Saturday he will be the 12th player to have his number retired by the team and the first in major-league history to have No. 56 retired. That’s quite something, considering Buehrle was a 38th-round pick in 1988.
Buehrle would go on to post a 161-119 record with a 3.83 ERA for the Sox from 2000 to ’11, making four American League All-Star teams, winning three Gold Gloves, making nine Opening Day starts in a 10-year period and helping the Sox win a World Series in 2005.
The Sox announced a few details Wednesday about Saturday’s events. Buehrle will throw out a ceremonial first pitch and his 9-year-old son, Braden, will sing the National Anthem. Guests scheduled to attend include Joe Crede, John Danks, Jon Garland, Scott Podsednik and Frank Thomas.
A limited number of tickets, including Standing Room Only, remain available.
Harrelson will be the master of ceremonies for the event.
Iguchi retires
Speaking of 2005, Japanese infielder Tadahito Iguchi, who played with Buehrle in 2005, will retire at the end of the 2017 season.
Iguchi, 42, the oldest active player in Nippon Professional Baseball, plays for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan’s Pacific League.
“I’ve been thinking about the right time to quit,” Iguchi said. “I want the fans and those who supported me to come and watch me as much as they can.”
Iguchi had a .278 batting average with 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases during the 2005 season, the first of four in the majors.
He also had stints with the Phillies and Padres.
Iguchi, who started his career in 1996 with the Daiei Hawks, collected his 2,000th career hit in MLB and NPB combined in 2013 while with the Marines — a feat accomplished by only seven players.
Avisail’s All-Star bid
Avisail Garcia moved up one place to fifth among AL outfielders in voting for the All-Star team. While Yankees rookie Aaron Judge (2,631,284) leads all players in the AL, Garcia, with 970,994 votes, is in a fairly tight race for the final outfield spot. George Springer is third with 1,176,951 and Michael Brantley fourth at 1,002,254.
Contributing: Associated Press
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Email: dvanschouwen@suntimes.com
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