CHICAGO -- A.J. Pierzynski crouched behind home plate in full catcher’s gear, put down the sign, and Mark Buehrle induced a swing and miss with his ensuing offering to the opposing hitter.
The packed house at Rate Field, checking in at somewhere around 40,000 people, had been filled with frenzied excitement long before the game began. But the presence of No. 12 (Pierzynski) and No. 56 (Buehrle) added an extra layer of jubilation from the moment they were introduced.
No, this is not a 2008 White Sox replay on the way to the postseason. Instead, it was part of Friday’s game with the Savannah Bananas, as Pierzynski and Buehrle donned the bright yellow uniforms to briefly leave the friendly confines of retirement.
Their appearance took place about 90 minutes after the indomitable Princess Potassia belted out songs near home plate within an elaborate pregame production.
“Right now, I’m good,” said a smiling Buehrle after his mound work. “In a week, I’ll be not very good.”
“We spent a lot of time together. Our lockers were next to each other the whole time,” said Pierzynski, of catching Buehrle. “I caught I don’t know how many starts of his. That was the best part, to get to go out with Mark one last time and get to catch and see his … whatever you want to call it -- ‘stuff,’ I guess you could call it.”
These batterymates worked together for 164 regular-season starts and 1,049 2/3 innings while with the White Sox, per Baseball Reference, finishing that run in 2011. Sandy Alomar Jr. was the only other individual to catch Buehrle more than 50 games, with 81 joint appearances.
Buehrle and Pierzynski were integral components of the team’s 2005 World Series championship, together at Rate Field the weekend of July 11 when a right-field concourse statue of Buehrle was unveiled that Friday night. That ceremony was followed by a pregame on-field reunion for the champions’ 20-year anniversary before Saturday’s game.
At that point, and at other points since his retirement, Buehrle admitted to not missing baseball: He had an exceptional run covering 16 seasons, but he didn’t long for a return. Then again, Banana Ball is so very different.
Wins and losses really don’t matter, although the Bananas beat the Firefighters -- unofficially giving Buehrle a 215th career victory -- while also topping them in trick plays. This is sports entertainment at its highest point, from outfielders doing Cirque De Soleil back flips while catching fly balls, to fans wearing full banana costumes, to the entire 40,000 singing along in-game to everything from “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” to “Your Love.”
At the halfway mark of the contest, Chance the Rapper performed as he walked in from center field.
“This game has always been about and always will be about the fans. That’s what this is,” Brooks Boyer, the White Sox executive vice president, chief revenue/marketing officer, told MLB.com at Friday’s game. “You couldn’t do some of this stuff in Minor League Baseball. It is creating the best possible baseball experience. That’s what they strive to do.”
“They do a great job of spreading how great baseball can be. It’s not a Major League game. It’s not meant to be, but it’s fun,” Pierzynski said. “It’s awesome for the game of baseball. It’s entertaining as hell. They sell out everywhere they go, and fans love it. That’s what it’s all about. The guys are great, both teams, awesome kids.”
Pierzynski moved on to St. Louis Saturday, providing analysis for FOX during the Yankees’ 12-8 victory over the Cardinals. Buehrle was back home in Missouri. Ozzie Guillen, the manager of the ’05 champions, had a first-base coaching appearance during Saturday's game at Rate Field, with captain Paul Konerko getting a Bananas at-bat.
With a two-hour maximum time set for each Bananas game, it was right in Buehrle’s always fast-paced wheelhouse.
“Two-hour game? Love it. This is awesome,” said Buehrle, who was encouraged by his wife and daughter to play. “It’s cool how the fans and kids and younger people are into it.”
“One guy swung and missed, and he was way out in front, and I said, ‘This is how hard he threw when he pitched,’” said Pierzynski, adding Buehrle mixed in one changeup with his fastball. “Typical Mark. It was just great to be around him again. Just be one of the guys.”
Boyer believes MLB could learn from the Bananas’ success.
“You sit here and watch, and it’s so much more interesting in person than what you see on TV,” Boyer added. “Tip your big yellow hat to [Bananas owners] Jesse [Cole], his wife and what these guys have done to make Banana Ball what Banana Ball is.
“There’s always so much going on. People are staying through inning breaks. It’s a show.”