Mark Buehrle had already run out of display space at home for his three Gold Glove Awards. Now he will have to figure out a place to stash a fourth. The left-hander for the Marlins became the third pitcher to win the award in both leagues when he was recognized Tuesday for his defensive excellence.
After capturing three successive Gold Gloves in the American League while with the Chicago White Sox, Buehrle clearly impressed National League managers and coaches who vote for the award in his first year with the Marlins.
Buehrle received the nod over the other two finalists, Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo and the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw — last year’s winner — to make it four in a row.
“I think the first one and this one mean a little bit more than the middle two,” Buehrle said. “The first one and this one switching leagues — where I actually had to beat out Kershaw — and a whole new group of managers voting for you, it wasn’t like it was just handed to you.”
Buehrle was error-free in his first season with the Marlins, who signed him to a four-year deal as a free agent last December.
He became the first Marlin to win a Gold Glove since third baseman Mike Lowell and second baseman Luis Castillo in 2005 were recognized for excellence at their positions. Buehrle is the first pitcher to win the award in both leagues since Jim Kaat in the 1970s. Bobby Shantz is the only other pitcher to win the award in both the NL and AL.
Marlins shortstop Jose Reyes also was a finalist for a Gold Glove but did not win.
Buehrle said that after he won his first Gold Glove in 2009, he had a cutout built into a wall at home to house the trophy. The display was expanded when he won his second award in 2010. He said he squeezed his third award in 2011 in between the other two.
“The Fielding Bible,” a publication that examines baseball defense using sophisticated statistical formulas, had already recognized Buehrle as the best pitcher in either league for the fourth consecutive year, saying that it is the pitcher’s “consistency that really stands out.”
Buehrle, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and Royals left fielder Alex Gordon were the only players to earn perfect scores in the publication’s position-by-position grading.
Buehrle credited former White Sox and Marlins bench coach Joey Cora for helping him on throws to first. Cora was let go by the Marlins when they fired Ozzie Guillen, Buehrle’s manager in Chicago and Miami.
“I’m surprised,” Buehrle said of Guillen’s firing. “Obviously, he signed a big deal coming down here. I’m guessing that there’s a lot of stuff that us as players, or me as a player, didn’t see or didn’t pay attention to, I guess, that caused his firing.”
• Cincinnati Reds pitching coach Bryan Price has removed his name from consideration for the Marlins’ managing job, sources said. Price is one of three candidates known to have interviewed for the job. The others are Mike Redmond and Larry Bowa.
