ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Mark Buehrle walked off the mound two innings shy of a milestone but amid a warm standing ovation from Toronto Blue Jays fans at Tropicana Field.
Buehrle was excellent in allowing four runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings as the Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-4 to trim their magic number for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs to two. The veteran left-hander, who has thrown 200-plus innings in 14 consecutive seasons, reached 198 on Friday night.
Hall of Famers Don Sutton and Gaylord Perry are the only pitchers in major-league history to hit that mark in 15 consecutive seasons. There's reason to expect the Blue Jays to give Buehrle a good shot at that Sunday in the regular-season finale, especially if they've already clinched the top seed in the American League.
Beyond that, there's plenty of uncertainty for the 36-year-old, who has battled through fatigue over his past several starts. When Toronto goes to a four-man rotation for the playoffs, Buehrle may or may not have a spot on the 25-man roster as a bullpen arm.
"He's in the mix everywhere," manager John Gibbons said.
Buehrle hasn't pitched in relief since his rookie year in 2000. He did make five post-season starts for the Chicago White Sox from 2005-2008.
Beyond Brett Cecil, the Blue Jays don't have a reliable left-hander to go to in the pen. Aaron Loup and Jeff Francis are on the expanded roster but are not expected to be available in the playoffs.
Buehrle is a free agent after this season and, though he has been incredibly durable throughout his career, 3,000-plus innings have taken their toll.
The innings Buehrle gave the Blue Jays a few months ago were brilliant. He allowed two or fewer earned runs in nine starts from June 3 to July 21, bridging the gap before they got David Price at the trade deadline.
Price has long admired Buehrle and said before the game that he calls his teammate "Legend."
"He's Legend with what he's done," Price said. "Guys don't do that. To do what he's done over the course of his career. I think he's thrown over 50,000 pitches. C'mon. I'd be throwing righthanded at that point."
On Friday night, Buehrle (15-7) did some very efficient, professional pitching. Rarely getting the ball to the plate at over 80 mph, he mixed his pitches to get three strikeouts and several fly-ball outs.
Buehrle joined the history books by becoming the first pitcher to hit the same batter (Rays outfielder Brandon Guyer) three times in a game since 2007 and made a mistake on a pitch that Mikie Mahtook turned into a three-run home run. He watched as Kevin Pillar made a highlight-reel diving catch in centre field and got to 103 pitchers before Gibbons gave him the hook.
As fans cheered, Buehrle took off his cap and appeared to salute his family in the crowd.
