How the use of alcohol is perceived in sports by the public depends on the standings. If a team wins, and it later comes out beer was being swilled in the dugout, they become a cast of wild and cooky characters who hold a special place in fans' hearts. If a club suffers one of the worst collapses the sport has seen, then the whole area is going to be transported back to the Prohibition. One such former Chicago White Sox pitcher is likely to find himself in the latter.
While speaking to Boston Red Sox great Jon Lester about the infamous chicken and beer 2011 team (blew nine-game lead in September), retired catcher and two-time All-Star AJ Pierzynski outed a teammate whom he says was actually inebriated during a game. A World Series game.
“The 2005 White Sox, Mark Buehrle pitched in the World Series drunk,” Pierzynski said on Foul Territory. “Came in and got a save. He was drunk, like he was full drunk.”
.@JLester34 says stories about the 2011 Red Sox eating fried chicken and drinking beer were blown WAY out of proportion.
But @aj_pierzynskiFT remembers seeing pitchers get drunk during games when he was playing 😅
Legends Territory ▶️ https://t.co/zMAgYY0F2k pic.twitter.com/y38reUfvC0
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 10, 2023
Now, he did clarify that starting pitchers never consumed alcohol on scheduled start days, and that it was just something to pass the time during games- which could occasionally be a four-hour slog. In the case of five-time All-Star Mark Buehrle, there were unforeseen circumstances that resulted in the alleged sloshed save in Game 3 of the Fall Classic. He started the previous game versus the Houston Astros and was unlikely to make a relief appearance on two days rest. A 14-inning game disrupted his World Series spectating plans.
Buehrle recorded the one out he was asked to get, becoming the first pitcher in Series history to start and save back-to-back games. That feat is made even more special with the new information that has come to light. Everything worked out in the end, as Chicago swept Houston to win the championship. Buehrle will remain White Sox royalty, regardless of his unfortunate condition on the mound that day.
However, if the 2023 struggling, 29-36 White Sox are ever linked to in-game alcohol use, you better believe fans will riot outside the gates of Guaranteed Rate Field. Circumstance is everything.
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