In the top sports moments for 2009 countdown, there are actually two “the catch” moments that left sports fans gasping in astonishment and amazement: Santonio Holmes’ catch in the end zone in Super Bowl XLIII, and my pick for the #3 Sports Moment of 2009: DeWayne Wise’s over-the-wall-catch to secure Mark Buehrle’s Perfect Game.
On July 23, 2009, the Tampa Bay Rays headed up North to take on the Chicago White Sox in a mid-season game that no one really thought twice about. But no one knew magic was about to happen.
Throughout eight innings, White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle was throwing a perfect game. No runs, no hits…. nothing. Now of course, no one dared mention this or speak of it because that is against all baseball lore. You never talk about the streak.
But then disaster struck in the top of the ninth. Tampa Bay’s Gabe Kapler connected with Buehrle’s pitch, and the ball took off like a rocket into left center field for a home run.
And out of nowhere, DeWayne Wise, running as fast as a rocket himself, reached over the wall and snagged the ball out of the stands, juggling it a bit on the way down, to secure the out and keep the no-hit record intact
It will be going down in the books as one of baseball’s all-time great clutch catches. The White Sox have added a sign to the top of the left-center-field wall that reads simply “The Catch.”
Oh, and two batters later, Buehrle polished off his Perfect Game. It was “27 up, 27 down,” something that has only been accomplished 16 times in modern baseball. That’s a pretty huge moment!
And also a fun tribute video set to David Cook’s “Declaration” How could I resist posting it?!
About the author: Jennifer Taglione is the owner of this fabulous website Stiletto Sports. Despite writing well over 500 posts, she still maintains that she is not a sports writer! She is however a huge fan of Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Mark Sanchez, the Celtics, and totally kicks butt on March Madness brackets! Connect with her by following her on Twitter @StilettoSportsJ and subscribing to her weekly newsletter. For more info check out the About the Editor page!
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