Dewayne Wise (Transcript)

Robby Incmikoski: What was it like when, after everybody celebrated with Mark [Buehrle, after his perfect game], they ran right to you? How cool was that, that your teammates realized the impact you had on that game?

Dewayne Wise: For me, the start of that season was kind of rough with the way things were going. I'm sitting on the bench witnessing what's going on, and to be able to get out there and make a play like that—it was just crazy, man. Just sitting there watching everything unfold, and then you get the opportunity. Soon as you enter the game, the first batter you got to go rob a home run. For me to get out there and make a play like that, it was a special moment for me and White Sox fans. It was just a special day.

Robby Incmikoski: That's incredible. How hard is it when the first ball ends up being that ball? What are the odds of that, Dewayne? It's like go-play-the-lottery odds.

Dewayne Wise: Well, here's the thing—being a reserve player coming off the bench, there's always a saying that you better be ready because as soon as you get in the game, the ball will always find you. In that case, first batter—I forget how many pitches it was—but you just got to be ready, man. I was going over things in my head: if you hit the ball over here, I'm gonna try to do this. Not knowing that I was going to get on my horse and rob a home run. But it was awesome, and I'm glad I was part of it.

Robby Incmikoski: It was the sixth pitch of the inning—two-two count with one foul ball, and then the ball was hit to you. How often do you get asked about this, Dewayne? Obviously after the initial media coverage died down, people like me reach out to you.

Dewayne Wise: To this day, people are still talking about it. I'm still getting fan mail, pictures of it. I love it—it keeps my name in baseball. I never thought in 2025, after retiring in 2013, that people would still be talking about Dewayne Wise. I'm just so thankful and blessed that my name is still floating around in baseball when you start talking about catches and perfect games. It's something that will always be talked about for years.

Robby Incmikoski: Oh, there's no doubt. Dewayne, there's only been 24 perfect games in the history of the game. You know enough about the game to know how rare that is.

Dewayne Wise: Mark's was the 18th, right? I think it was the 18th perfect game.

Robby Incmikoski: That sounds about right, because in 2010 and 2012, and then Domingo German had one a couple years ago. Yeah, and Dallas Braden too—May 9, 2010. So yeah, you're right. There were only 16 at the time in the history of the game. Does it make sense to you now why people like me reach out? It's that spectacular moment in the history of the game.

Dewayne Wise: Yeah, it does. I'm sorry for taking so long to get this done, but it's a special moment in baseball, for sure. I'm pretty sure this won't be the last interview or person that talks about it.

Robby Incmikoski: No doubt. One last thing—I've asked Bill Mazeroski about his 1960 walk-off homer, Luis Gonzalez, Sid Bream. These people are so gracious in answering this question, and you've obviously been very gracious to me, Dewayne. So what was your read when the ball made contact? Can you just take me through what happened or what you remember?

Dewayne Wise: Well, when I entered the game—I'm always known as a center fielder that plays shallow because I was real comfortable with running and catching the ball over my shoulder. So that play, when the ball was hit, I knew it was over my head, so I just put my head down and ran to a spot. As I was running, you always want to turn around and take a look at it to see where it's at. That's what I did—at the halfway point, I took a glance at the ball, and I felt like I was catching up to it. Once I got closer to the wall, that's when I realized I had a legitimate shot at catching it. I just kind of timed it right and made the catch. Almost dropped it on my way down, but I was able to hold on to it.

Robby Incmikoski: So that was the first out of the inning. Mark still had to get two more outs after that. Are you thinking, "Okay, this has to be the most difficult play anybody can make in this game"? What was going through your mind during the final two at-bats?

Dewayne Wise: Man, after you make a play like that and everybody's so excited—fans going crazy, players—we're trying to keep our composure and just stay calm because we still have two more outs. Believe it or not, that last play to Alexi was a tough hop to shortstop—Jason Bartlett. That was a tough play, but everybody was relieved once we got that last out. I'm thinking the whole time, "Thank you, Jesus," because I knew what I did was going to be talked about for a while, especially if Mark was able to get through it.

Robby Incmikoski: Perfect. All right, last question. You said you didn't know until the sixth inning that Buehrle had a perfect game going. How was that?

Dewayne Wise: Well, the funny thing is, Joey Cora told me the day before that I wasn't playing. I think I had one of my cousins in town or one of my friends in town, and we were just sitting at my apartment all night. I didn't take batting practice that morning. I think I just got dressed and chilled in the locker room, and I was a little tired. I went to get coffee around the fifth inning, and that's when I heard Hawk say over the radio, "18 up, 18 down." I was like, "What?" So I went back to the dugout, looked at the scoreboard, and I saw nothing but zeros. I was like, "Oh shit, I need to get loose."

Robby Incmikoski: At some point you knew you were going to go in the game, right?

Dewayne Wise: Well, Ozzie always likes to put me in for defense late in the game, but in that case, with the perfect game going on, I wasn't sure he was going to put me in because I didn't think he wanted to mess with the lineup—kind of jinx it. To be honest with you, Joey Cora didn't want him to put me in because of that, but Ozzie was like, "No, I'm putting him in. I feel like we have a better chance with him out there." So that was Ozzie's decision to put me out there, and it all worked out.

Robby Incmikoski: That's amazing. You replaced Carlos Quentin that game in left field. I just talked to Joey, so let me ask you this ridiculous thing. I talked to Joey about the 2005 team that won the World Series, and we just had a new pope named. I said, "Joey, is it divine intervention that the White Sox—the Pope was at Game One of the World Series in 2005—is there some divine intervention in that ballpark for you to make that catch?"

Dewayne Wise: I don't know. I felt like I was doing what I was supposed to do, man. Ozzie put me out there, he had confidence and said I could go out there and make the play. And I did it.

Robby Incmikoski: I can't believe I skipped this—they have your name on the wall where you made the catch. How cool is that, Dewayne? What a way to pay tribute to somebody. You don't see that around baseball.

Dewayne Wise: Where is that?

Robby Incmikoski: In left-center field. It says "The Catch."

Dewayne Wise: Yeah, that was special for me too. To this day, anytime I'm watching a White Sox game, I'm always looking over there anytime a ball is hit in that area, and I smile. Right away, it just brings back memories. I think it's pretty cool that it's there at the stadium. I feel like it's going to be there for a long time.

Robby Incmikoski: I have it burned into my head—you with your back against the wall making the catch. How unique a tribute is that? That's not something you see around major league baseball. You see numbers retired, but you don't see "The Catch."

Dewayne Wise: Yeah, there's been a lot of great plays throughout baseball, and to be able to do something like that—to have "The Catch" that Dewayne Wise made—is really special to me. I know there haven't been a lot of home run robberies in perfect games, but there have been a lot of elite outfielders that made great plays in their careers. To have something like that on the wall that's going to be remembered long after I'm gone—it's just special for me and my family.

Robby Incmikoski: Exactly. You had Willie Mays with the over-the-shoulder catch, Mike Trout. Did you see Travis Jankowski's catch this year at the White Sox? He robbed a homer in the ninth inning with one out—about 150 feet from your catch. It was unbelievable. I'll send you the YouTube. It's incredible. A guy like you would appreciate the catch he made.

Anyways, Dewayne, thank you, man.