Mark Buehrle
Buehrle threw 200 innings in 14 of his 16 seasons, a monument to durability in an era where starters increasingly became fragile. His 3,283 career innings rank among the highest for any pitcher who debuted after 2000, built on surgical command rather than overpowering stuff.
The southpaw's defining trait wasn't his 88-mph fastball but his tempo — he worked faster than any pitcher of his generation, routinely finishing games in under two hours. That efficiency masked elite precision: four Gold Gloves and a career 1.28 WHIP that ranked consistently among baseball's best. His 2005 season anchored Chicago's World Series run with a 137 ERA+, the best mark of his career.
Buehrle represents the last of a dying breed — the workhorse starter who took the ball every fifth day without fail. In 16 seasons, he made 30-plus starts 13 times, never missing significant time to injury.
Career · Hitting
16 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | CWS | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2001 | CWS | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .250 | 33 |
| 2002 | CWS | 34 | 6 | 0 | 0 | .167 | .333 | 45 |
| 2003 | CWS | 35 | 6 | 0 | 1 | .167 | .333 | 44 |
| 2004 | CWS | 35 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2005 | CWS | 33 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2006 | CWS | 32 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2007 | CWS | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2008 | CWS | 34 | 6 | 0 | 0 | .167 | .333 | 44 |
| 2009 | CWS | 33 | 4 | 1 | 1 | .250 | 1.250 | 167 |
| 2010 | CWS | 33 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2011 | CWS | 31 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .500 | 1.500 | 208 |
| 2012 | MIA | 31 | 67 | 0 | 1 | .045 | .104 | 14 |
| 2013 | TOR | 33 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2014 | TOR | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2015 | TOR | 32 | 7 | 0 | 0 | .143 | .393 | 54 |
| Career | 518 | 125 | 1 | 3 | .072 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
16 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | CWS | 28 | 51.3 | 4 | 1 | 4.21 | 113 | 37 | 1.442 |
| 2001 | CWS | 32 | 221.3 | 16 | 8 | 3.29 | 134 | 126 | 1.066 |
| 2002 | CWS | 34 | 239.0 | 19 | 12 | 3.58 | 119 | 134 | 1.243 |
| 2003 | CWS | 35 | 230.3 | 14 | 14 | 4.14 | 106 | 119 | 1.350 |
| 2004 | CWS | 35 | 245.3 | 16 | 10 | 3.89 | 115 | 165 | 1.255 |
| 2005 | CWS | 33 | 236.7 | 16 | 8 | 3.12 | 137 | 149 | 1.183 |
| 2006 | CWS | 32 | 204.0 | 12 | 13 | 4.99 | 91 | 98 | 1.446 |
| 2007 | CWS | 30 | 201.0 | 10 | 9 | 3.63 | 123 | 115 | 1.259 |
| 2008 | CWS | 34 | 218.7 | 15 | 12 | 3.79 | 114 | 140 | 1.335 |
| 2009 | CWS | 33 | 213.3 | 13 | 10 | 3.84 | 112 | 105 | 1.252 |
| 2010 | CWS | 33 | 210.3 | 13 | 13 | 4.28 | 95 | 99 | 1.403 |
| 2011 | CWS | 31 | 205.3 | 13 | 9 | 3.59 | 110 | 109 | 1.295 |
| 2012 | MIA | 31 | 202.3 | 13 | 13 | 3.74 | 107 | 125 | 1.171 |
| 2013 | TOR | 33 | 203.7 | 12 | 10 | 4.15 | 93 | 139 | 1.345 |
| 2014 | TOR | 32 | 202.0 | 13 | 10 | 3.39 | 110 | 119 | 1.356 |
| 2015 | TOR | 32 | 198.7 | 15 | 8 | 3.81 | 104 | 91 | 1.243 |
| Career | 518 | 3283.2 | 214 | 160 | — | — | 1870 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.