Levine: Sale-Buehrle Duel A Battle Of New, Old Sox Aces
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The meeting of old and new White Sox aces was as good as advertised Monday evening. Baseball's most dominant pitcher, Chicago's Chris Sale, faced his mentor, Toronto's Mark Buehrle, in a showdown of different styles, much with the same result.
A solo home run by Toronto's Chris Colabello was the first blood drawn off of Sale in the third inning. Buehrle watched a run score on a throwing error in the fourth. The author of 208 big-league victories, Buehrle was right at home, coming back to the place he had thrown a perfect game and no-hitter as a member of the White Sox from 2000-'11.
Buehrle's defense let him down late, as the White Sox scored three more unearned runs in the eighth to steal a 4-2 win. Buehrle went eight inning, allowing no earned runs on nine hits while striking out two and walking none. The game took just 1 hour, 54 minutes.
"It was a blast," Buehrle said. "Hopefully, the fans got what they came for, and it was a quick game. Most of the people like that. It's always fun pitching a game like this."
Sale allowed his second long ball of the night on another solo home run, Josh Donaldson doing the damage in the sixth, hitting his 20th. Sale was the lucky one this time around, getting his seventh win of the season after Toronto kicked the ball around.
"It was fun pitching at the pace we did," Sale said. "It's tough when you lose like he did without giving up an earned run. He will get over it."
Sale went all nine innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits and no walks. He struck out six Blue Jays, falling short in his quest to become the first pitcher in MLB history to strike out 10 or more hitters in nine straight starts.
"I can't complain," Sale said. "We got the win and that is what counts. We needed that win, and we have been playing better baseball."
Sale tipped his hat to the 36-year-old Buehrle.
"Mark was all about his teammates and the team," Sale said. "I took all of that from him. The other thing is, he was always himself and never pretended to be anything else. He was a great person to be around."
A free agent after 2015, Buehrle wouldn't give into questions about retiring or coming back for a second and final go-around with Chicago.
"I don't know for sure what is going to happen after this year," he said. "It's not like I am soaking it all in each series. I just don't know what is going to happen. It could be the end, it could not be. That is the million-dollar question."
In Buehrle's case, it was a $58-million question, which is how much the Marlins gave him in ahead of the 2012 season before his contract was moved to the Blue Jays. The White Sox would be a nice final destination for the greatly admired pitcher.
I asked him if he was getting tired of pitching.
"I don't know," he said. "Sometimes I am, sometimes I am not. Who says (Chicago) would want me back? They didn't want me back four years ago. Who says they will want me back now? I am four years older."
Whatever way it shakes out, Buerhle will be back to U.S. Cellular Field at least one more time. That will be for his number retirement and statue ceremony in the near future.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
