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Guillen: Buehrle was the best player I ever managed

Patrick Gorski / Reuters

The Chicago White Sox paid tribute to Mark Buehrle on Saturday afternoon when they retired the southpaw's No. 56 in front of a jam-packed audience inside Guaranteed Rate Field.

Prior to the ceremony, which included Buehrle receiving a four-wheeler and a pickup truck labeled with "27 up, 27 down," his former manager Ozzie Guillen spoke very highly of him, calling the 214-game winner the best player he ever managed, according to David Just of the Chicago Sun-Times.

"In my career, he's No. 1 because he pitched for me my first year and he pitched for me the last day of my career," Guillen explained.

"I never saw him upset. I never saw him overreact. Day in and day out, he was the same guy. That's what makes him so special. That's why teammates loved him."

Related: White Sox unveil Buehrle's retired No. 56

Buehrle, who last pitched in the big leagues in 2015 with the Toronto Blue Jays, may be best remembered for his remarkable perfect game on July 23, 2009 against the Tampa Bay Rays, which the outspoken Guillen comically touched on as well.

"Buehrle was a contact pitcher," Guillen said. "When you throw a perfect game with the stuff he had - I can't believe Tampa Bay was that bad. Wow. He was throwing popcorn boxes out there, and he got out of it. Who would have thought Buehrle, with that stuff, was going to be perfect?"

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