Perfect game
Encyclopedia
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball
as a game in which a pitcher
(or combination of pitchers) pitches a victory
that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher (or pitchers) cannot allow any hits
, walks
, hit batsmen
, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any other reason—in short, "27 up, 27 down". The feat has been achieved 20 times in the history of major league baseball
—18 times since the modern era began in 1900.
By definition, a perfect game is both a no-hitter
and a shutout
. Since the pitcher cannot control whether or not his teammates commit any errors
, the pitcher must be backed up by solid fielding
to pitch a perfect game. An error that does not allow a batter to get on base, such as a misplayed foul ball, does not spoil a perfect game. Weather-shortened contests in which a team has no baserunners and games in which a team reaches first base only in extra innings
do not qualify as official perfect games under the present definition. The first confirmed use of the term "perfect game" was in ; the current official definition of the term was formalized in . Although it is possible for multiple pitchers to combine for a perfect game (as has happened nine times at the major league level for a no-hitter), to date, every major league perfect game has been thrown by a single pitcher.
Over the 135 years of Major League Baseball history, there have been only 20 official perfect games by the current definition. More people have orbited the moon than have pitched a major league perfect game. No pitcher has ever thrown more than one. The perfect game thrown by Don Larsen
in game 5 of the 1956 World Series
is the only postseason perfect game in major league history and one of only two postseason no-hitters. The first two major league perfect games, and the only two of the premodern era, were thrown in 1880, five days apart. The two most recent perfect games were thrown May 9 and May 29, 2010, just 20 days apart. By contrast, there have been spans of 23 and 33 consecutive seasons in which not a single perfect game was thrown.
The first two pitchers to accomplish the feat did so in 1880, under rules that differed in many important respects from those of today's game: for example, only underhand pitching—from a flat, marked-out box 45 feet from home plate—was allowed, it took eight balls to draw a walk, and a batter was not awarded first base if hit by a pitch. Lee Richmond, a left-handed pitcher for the Worcester Ruby Legs, threw the first perfect game. He played professional baseball for six years and pitched full-time for only three, finishing with a losing record. The second perfect game was thrown by John Montgomery Ward
for the Providence Grays
. Ward, an excellent pitcher who became an excellent position player, went on to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Though convention has it that the modern era of Major League Baseball begins in 1900, the essential rules of the modern game were in place by the 1893 season. That year the pitching distance was moved back to 60 feet, 6 inches, where it remains, and the pitcher's box was replaced by a rubber slab against which the pitcher was required to place his rear foot. Two other crucial rules changes had been made in recent years: In 1887, the rule awarding a hit batsman first base was instituted in the National League
(this had been the rule in the American Association
since 1884—first by the umpire's judgment of the impact; as of the following year, virtually automatically). In 1889, the number of balls required for a walk was reduced to four. Thus, from 1893 on, pitchers sought perfection in a game whose most important rules are the same as today, with two significant exceptions: counting a foul ball as a first or second strike, enforced by the National League as of 1901 and by the American League
two years later, and the use of the designated hitter
in American League games since the 1973 season.
During baseball's modern era, 18 pitchers have thrown perfect games. Most were accomplished major leaguers. Five are members of the Baseball Hall of Fame: Cy Young
, Addie Joss
, Jim Bunning
, Sandy Koufax
, and Catfish Hunter
. A sixth, Randy Johnson
, is a 300-game winner
and five-time Cy Young Award
recipient considered certain to be voted into the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in 2015. Roy Halladay
has two Cy Young Awards and been on eight All-Star
teams through 2011. David Cone
won the Cy Young once and was named to five All-Star teams. Three other perfect-game throwers, Dennis Martínez
, Kenny Rogers
, and David Wells
, each won over 200 major league games. Mark Buehrle
has been an All-Star four times in his 12 major league seasons through 2011. For a few, the perfect game was the highlight of an otherwise unremarkable career. Mike Witt
and Tom Browning
were solid major league pitchers; each finished in the top ten in Cy Young voting once. Larsen, Charlie Robertson
, and Len Barker
were journeyman pitchers; each finished his major-league career with a losing record. Dallas Braden
had a losing career record when he threw a perfect game in 2010, his fourth major league season.
The term perfect game is at least as old as 1908. I. E. Sanborn's report for the Chicago Tribune
about Joss's performance against the White Sox calls it, "an absolutely perfect game, without run, without hit, and without letting an opponent reach first base by hook or crook, on hit, walk, or error, in nine innings." Several sources have claimed (erroneously) that the first recorded usage of the term "perfect game" was by Ernest J. Lanigan
in his Baseball Cyclopedia, made in reference to Robertson's 1922 game. The Chicago Tribune came close to the term in describing Richmond's game in 1880: "Richmond was most effectively supported, every position on the home nine being played to perfection." Similarly, in writing up Ward's perfect game, the New York Clipper
described the "perfect play" of Providence's defense.
The current official Major League Baseball definition of a perfect game is largely a side effect of the decision made by the major leagues' Committee for Statistical Accuracy on September 4, 1991, to redefine a no-hitter as a game in which the pitcher or pitchers on one team throw a complete game of nine innings or more without surrendering a hit. That decision removed a number of games that had long appeared in the record books: those lasting fewer than nine innings, and those in which a team went hitless in regulation but then got a hit in extra innings. The definition of perfect game was made to parallel this new definition of the no-hitter, in effect substituting "baserunner" for "hit". As a result of the 1991 redefinition, for instance, Harvey Haddix
receives credit for neither a perfect game nor a no-hitter for the game described below in which he threw 12 perfect innings before allowing a baserunner in the 13th.
Richmond was pitching in his first full season in the big leagues after appearing in one game in 1879. He was apparently considered a good hitter, as he batted second in the lineup. His perfect game featured an unusual 9–3 putout, with Worcester right fielder Lon Knight
throwing out Cleveland's Bill Phillips
at first. The play came on one of three balls Cleveland hit out of the infield. Three outs were recorded on "foul bounds": balls caught after bouncing once in foul territory (the foul bound rule was eliminated three years later). A monument marks the site of the Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds
where the game took place, now part of the campus of Becker College
. The feat was recognized as unusual: a newspaper report described it as "the most wonderful game on record".
, struck out 15 and gave up just four scattered singles. The lone, unearned run scored as a result of a botched pickoff play and a wild pitch. The Naps ended the day tied with the Tigers for first, with the White Sox two games back; the Tigers would ultimately win the league by a half game over the Naps. Joss would throw a second no-hitter against the White Sox in 1910, making him the only major league pitcher ever to throw two no-hitters against the same team.
, accused Robertson of illegally doctoring the ball with oil or grease. In terms of the opposing team's ability to get on base, this is statistically the most unlikely of perfectos: the 1922 Tigers had an on-base percentage (OBP) of .373.
. Just one Dodgers batter—Pee Wee Reese
, in the first inning—worked a three-ball count
. The Dodgers had the highest season winning percentage of any team ever to lose a perfect game: .604. The image of catcher Yogi Berra
leaping into Larsen's arms after the final strike is one of the most famous in baseball history. The 34 years between Robertson's feat and Larsen's is the longest gap between perfect games.
, was the first in the National League since Ward's 84 years before. Defying the baseball superstition that holds one should not talk about a no-hitter in progress, Bunning spoke to his teammates about the perfect game as it developed to loosen them up and relieve the pressure.
gave up only one hit, a bloop double to left-fielder Lou Johnson
in the seventh inning that did not figure in the scoring. The Dodgers scored their only run in the fifth inning: Lou Johnson reached first on a walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, stole third, and scored when Cubs catcher Chris Krug
overthrew third base on the play. The game also set records for the fewest number of hits by both teams, one, and the fewest number of base runners by both teams, two (both Johnson). Koufax's 14 strikeouts are the most ever thrown by a perfect game pitcher.
, including a bunt single that drove home the first and thus winning run in the seventh inning—easily the best offensive performance ever by a perfect game pitcher. This was the first no-hitter of the Athletics' Oakland
tenure, which was only 25 games old.
s were used. He didn't reach a three-ball count in the entire game. Toronto shortstop Alfredo Griffin
, who played for the losing team in this game, went on to play for the losers in the perfect games of Browning and Martínez. All 11 of Barker's strikeouts were swinging.
, who drove in the only run of the game on a seventh-inning fielder's choice ground ball, was also on the winning team in Hunter's perfect game. On April 11, 1990, Witt, pitching out of the bullpen, combined with starting pitcher Mark Langston
to throw a no-hitter for the California Angels
.
, is the only major league pitcher born outside of the United States to throw a perfect game. Martínez reached only one three-ball count. Opposing pitcher Mike Morgan
was perfect through five full innings, the latest the opposing starter in a perfect game has remained perfect. Two days earlier, Expos pitcher Mark Gardner
no-hit the Dodgers through nine innings but lost the no-hitter in the tenth, meaning the Expos narrowly missed throwing a no-hitter and a perfect game in the same series. Martínez's catcher, Ron Hassey
, also caught Len Barker's perfect game. This was the third perfect game pitched against the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, joining those of Larsen and Browning; the only other teams to lose more than one perfect game are the Twins (Hunter and Wells) and the Rays (Buehrle and Braden).
's fantastic diving catch of a line drive hit by Rex Hudler
, leading off the ninth inning. Rogers's performance against the Angels came 10 seasons after Witt's perfect game against the Rangers. The Angels and Rangers are the only major league teams to record perfect games against each other.
, San Diego, California. They also both enjoyed the night life. Casey Stengel
once said of Larsen, "The only thing he fears is sleep." Wells has claimed to have been "half-drunk" and suffering from a "raging, skull-rattling hangover" during his perfect game. Wells's perfect game comprised the core of a streak of 38 consecutive retired batters (May 12–23, 1998) an American League
record he held until 2007.
Day. Don Larsen threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Berra, who had been his catcher during the 1956 World Series perfect game. Not a single Expo worked even a three-ball count. Cone's perfect game, to date the only one in regular-season interleague play
, was interrupted by a 33-minute rain delay. This also represents the only time two successive perfect games have been thrown by the same team. This was the third perfect game in Yankee history; the Indians (Joss and Barker), White Sox (Robertson and Buehrle), A's (Hunter and Braden), and Phillies (Bunning and Halladay) are the other teams to have more than one perfect game.
have the second-highest OBP (.343) and are tied for the second-highest winning percentage (.593). In contrast, the Diamondbacks
had by far the worst season winning percentage (.315) of any team to benefit from a perfect game.
to rob Gabe Kapler
of a home run; Wise entered the game as a defensive replacement in that inning. This was the first major league perfect game in which the pitcher and catcher were battery
-mates for the first time; Ramón Castro
had been acquired by the White Sox less than two months before. This was also the first perfect game to feature a grand slam
, by Josh Fields in the bottom of the second inning. Umpire Eric Cooper
, who called the game, was behind the plate for Buehrle's previous no-hitter, as well. On July 28, Buehrle followed up with another 5 2/3 innings of perfection to set the major league record for consecutive batters retired at 45 (including the final batter he faced in his last appearance before the perfect game).
, was the first complete game of his career. It was the first time a perfect game has been pitched against the team with the best record in the majors at the time; coming into the contest, the Rays were 22–8. The 2010 Rays are tied for the second-highest winning percentage (.593) of any team to be on the receiving end of a perfect game. Following Buehrle's, this was the second successive perfect game thrown against the Rays, the second team to have successive perfect games against them (the first was the Dodgers in 1988 and 1991). This game came 290 days after Buehrle's, the shortest period between modern-day perfect games until Halladay's occurred.
Seven perfect-game pitchers have also thrown at least one additional no-hitter: Young, Joss, Bunning, Koufax, Johnson, Buehrle, and Halladay. Witt participated in a combined no-hitter. Koufax has the most total no-hitters of any perfect-game pitcher, with four. Richmond and Robertson were rookies, though each had made a single appearance in a previous season. Although by the latter part of the 20th century, major league games were being played predominantly at night, six of the last ten perfect games, and four of the last six, have taken place in the daytime. The introduction of the designated hitter might have been expected to make perfect games more difficult to achieve in the AL. In fact, since 1973, seven perfect games have been thrown with the DH rule in effect (including one interleague game held at an American League park) and only four without it. Of the thirty teams that currently make up Major League Baseball, ten have never been involved in a perfect game, win or lose: the Giants, Cardinals, Pirates, Orioles, Royals, Mariners, Brewers, Astros, Padres, and Rockies.
There have been three instances in which a major league pitcher retired every player he faced over nine innings without allowing a baserunner, but, by the current definition, is not credited with a perfect game, either because there was already a baserunner when he took the mound, or because the game went into extra innings and an opposing player eventually reached base:
Four other games in which one team failed to reach base are not official perfect games because they were called off before nine innings were played:
On March 14, 2000, in a spring training
game—by definition unofficial—the Red Sox used six pitchers to retire all 27 Toronto Blue Jays
batters in a 5–0 victory. The starting pitcher for the Red Sox was Pedro Martínez (see above).
In the nine other instances, the leadoff batter (or batters) reached base in the first inning, followed by 27 consecutive batters (or batters and baserunners) being retired through the end of a nine-inning game. In one case, the leadoff baserunner was retired, meaning the pitcher faced the minimum:
The remaining instances in which a pitcher recorded 27 consecutive outs in a game, noting how the opponent's leadoff batter (or batters) reached base:
No otherwise perfect game in major league history has ever been spoiled solely by a third-strike passed ball
, third-strike wild pitch
, interference
, or an outfield error. More than one online survey incorrectly lists the game pitched by the Los Angeles Dodgers' Bill Singer
against the Phillies on July 20, 1970, as perfect aside from two throwing errors by Singer; in fact, he also hit batter Oscar Gamble
in the first inning.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
as a game in which a pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
(or combination of pitchers) pitches a victory
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher (or pitchers) cannot allow any hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
, walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
, hit batsmen
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...
, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any other reason—in short, "27 up, 27 down". The feat has been achieved 20 times in the history of major league baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
—18 times since the modern era began in 1900.
By definition, a perfect game is both a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
and a shutout
Shutout (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a shutout refers to the act by which a single pitcher pitches a complete game and does not allow the opposing team to score a run...
. Since the pitcher cannot control whether or not his teammates commit any errors
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
, the pitcher must be backed up by solid fielding
Baseball positions
There are 9 fielding positions in baseball. Each position conventionally has an associated number which is used to score putouts...
to pitch a perfect game. An error that does not allow a batter to get on base, such as a misplayed foul ball, does not spoil a perfect game. Weather-shortened contests in which a team has no baserunners and games in which a team reaches first base only in extra innings
Extra innings
Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie.Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine innings , each of which is divided into halves: the visiting team bats first, after which the home team takes its turn at bat...
do not qualify as official perfect games under the present definition. The first confirmed use of the term "perfect game" was in ; the current official definition of the term was formalized in . Although it is possible for multiple pitchers to combine for a perfect game (as has happened nine times at the major league level for a no-hitter), to date, every major league perfect game has been thrown by a single pitcher.
History
Don Larsen
Donald James Larsen is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1953-67 for seven different teams. Larsen is best known for pitching the sixth perfect game in baseball history, doing so in game 5 of the 1956 World Series...
in game 5 of the 1956 World Series
1956 World Series
The 1956 World Series of Major League Baseball was played between the New York Yankees and the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers during the month of October 1956. The Series was a rematch of the 1955 World Series...
is the only postseason perfect game in major league history and one of only two postseason no-hitters. The first two major league perfect games, and the only two of the premodern era, were thrown in 1880, five days apart. The two most recent perfect games were thrown May 9 and May 29, 2010, just 20 days apart. By contrast, there have been spans of 23 and 33 consecutive seasons in which not a single perfect game was thrown.
The first two pitchers to accomplish the feat did so in 1880, under rules that differed in many important respects from those of today's game: for example, only underhand pitching—from a flat, marked-out box 45 feet from home plate—was allowed, it took eight balls to draw a walk, and a batter was not awarded first base if hit by a pitch. Lee Richmond, a left-handed pitcher for the Worcester Ruby Legs, threw the first perfect game. He played professional baseball for six years and pitched full-time for only three, finishing with a losing record. The second perfect game was thrown by John Montgomery Ward
John Montgomery Ward
John Montgomery Ward , known as Monte Ward, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher, shortstop and manager. Ward was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Renovo, Pennsylvania...
for the Providence Grays
Providence Grays
The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at Messer Field in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National League title twice, in and...
. Ward, an excellent pitcher who became an excellent position player, went on to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Though convention has it that the modern era of Major League Baseball begins in 1900, the essential rules of the modern game were in place by the 1893 season. That year the pitching distance was moved back to 60 feet, 6 inches, where it remains, and the pitcher's box was replaced by a rubber slab against which the pitcher was required to place his rear foot. Two other crucial rules changes had been made in recent years: In 1887, the rule awarding a hit batsman first base was instituted in the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
(this had been the rule in the American Association
American Association (19th century)
The American Association was a Major League Baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from to . During that time, it challenged the National League for dominance of professional baseball...
since 1884—first by the umpire's judgment of the impact; as of the following year, virtually automatically). In 1889, the number of balls required for a walk was reduced to four. Thus, from 1893 on, pitchers sought perfection in a game whose most important rules are the same as today, with two significant exceptions: counting a foul ball as a first or second strike, enforced by the National League as of 1901 and by the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
two years later, and the use of the designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
in American League games since the 1973 season.
During baseball's modern era, 18 pitchers have thrown perfect games. Most were accomplished major leaguers. Five are members of the Baseball Hall of Fame: Cy Young
Cy Young
Denton True "Cy" Young was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 22-year baseball career , he pitched for five different teams. Young was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937...
, Addie Joss
Addie Joss
Adrian Joss was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched his entire nine-year baseball career for the Cleveland Bronchos/Naps .-Early life:...
, Jim Bunning
Jim Bunning
James Paul David "Jim" Bunning is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and politician.During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1955 to 1971, most notably with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies. When he retired, he had the second-highest total of career...
, Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
, and Catfish Hunter
Catfish Hunter
James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter , was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1965-1979 for both the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees...
. A sixth, Randy Johnson
Randy Johnson
Randall David Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams....
, is a 300-game winner
300 win club
In Major League Baseball, the 300 win club refers to the group of pitchers—24 as of 2011—who have won 300 or more games. While the "300 club" is an informal group, becoming a member is among the highest accomplishments a starting pitcher can achieve. Several members retired soon after winning their...
and five-time Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
recipient considered certain to be voted into the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in 2015. Roy Halladay
Roy Halladay
Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III , nicknamed "Doc", is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies...
has two Cy Young Awards and been on eight All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
teams through 2011. David Cone
David Cone
David Brian Cone is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1986-2003 for six different teams. Cone pitched the sixteenth perfect game in baseball history. He also set the MLB record for most years between 20-win seasons. He was a member of five...
won the Cy Young once and was named to five All-Star teams. Three other perfect-game throwers, Dennis Martínez
Dennis Martínez
José Dennis Martínez Emilia , nicknamed "El Presidente" , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher...
, Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers (baseball player)
Kenneth Scott Rogers is a former American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 20-year baseball career, he pitched from 1989-2008 for six different teams. In addition to being known for his fielding , he pitched the fourteenth perfect game in major league baseball history...
, and David Wells
David Wells
David Lee Wells , nicknamed "Boomer", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Wells was considered to be one of the game's better left-handed pitchers, especially during his years with the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched the fifteenth perfect game in baseball history...
, each won over 200 major league games. Mark Buehrle
Mark Buehrle
Mark Alan Buehrle is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He has pitched his entire baseball career for the Chicago White Sox, starting the opening game every season from 2002 to 2006 and again from 2008 to 2011....
has been an All-Star four times in his 12 major league seasons through 2011. For a few, the perfect game was the highlight of an otherwise unremarkable career. Mike Witt
Mike Witt
Michael Atwater "Mike" Witt is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.At just twenty years of age, Witt made his major league debut with the California Angels in 1981. Standing 6 feet, 7 inches tall and possessing a great curveball as well as a good fastball, Witt's breakout season came in...
and Tom Browning
Tom Browning
Thomas Leo Browning is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched for the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals...
were solid major league pitchers; each finished in the top ten in Cy Young voting once. Larsen, Charlie Robertson
Charlie Robertson
Charles Culbertson Robertson was an American Major League Baseball pitcher.Born in Dexter, Texas, and grew up in Nocona, Texas graduating from Nocona High School in 1915. Charles attended Austin College from 1917 until 1919. He began his career with the Chicago White Sox in 1919 at the age of 23...
, and Len Barker
Len Barker
Leonard Harold Barker III , better known as Lenny Barker or Len Barker, is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He pitched the tenth perfect game in baseball history. Barker pitched for the Texas Rangers , Cleveland Indians , Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers...
were journeyman pitchers; each finished his major-league career with a losing record. Dallas Braden
Dallas Braden
Dallas Lee Braden is a left-handed pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. He was drafted out of Texas Tech University in the twenty fourth round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft by the Athletics...
had a losing career record when he threw a perfect game in 2010, his fourth major league season.
The term perfect game is at least as old as 1908. I. E. Sanborn's report for the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
about Joss's performance against the White Sox calls it, "an absolutely perfect game, without run, without hit, and without letting an opponent reach first base by hook or crook, on hit, walk, or error, in nine innings." Several sources have claimed (erroneously) that the first recorded usage of the term "perfect game" was by Ernest J. Lanigan
Ernest Lanigan
Ernest John Lanigan was an American sportswriter and historian on the subject of baseball. He was considered the premier baseball statistician and historian of his day...
in his Baseball Cyclopedia, made in reference to Robertson's 1922 game. The Chicago Tribune came close to the term in describing Richmond's game in 1880: "Richmond was most effectively supported, every position on the home nine being played to perfection." Similarly, in writing up Ward's perfect game, the New York Clipper
New York Clipper
The New York Clipper, also known as The Clipper, was a weekly entertainment newspaper published in New York City from 1853 to 1924. It covered many topics, including circuses, dance, music, the outdoors, sports, and theatre. It had a circulation of about 25,000. The publishers also produced the...
described the "perfect play" of Providence's defense.
The current official Major League Baseball definition of a perfect game is largely a side effect of the decision made by the major leagues' Committee for Statistical Accuracy on September 4, 1991, to redefine a no-hitter as a game in which the pitcher or pitchers on one team throw a complete game of nine innings or more without surrendering a hit. That decision removed a number of games that had long appeared in the record books: those lasting fewer than nine innings, and those in which a team went hitless in regulation but then got a hit in extra innings. The definition of perfect game was made to parallel this new definition of the no-hitter, in effect substituting "baserunner" for "hit". As a result of the 1991 redefinition, for instance, Harvey Haddix
Harvey Haddix
Harvey Haddix, Jr. was a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who played with the St. Louis Cardinals , Philadelphia Phillies , Cincinnati Redlegs , Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles . Haddix was born in Medway, Ohio, located just outside of Springfield...
receives credit for neither a perfect game nor a no-hitter for the game described below in which he threw 12 perfect innings before allowing a baserunner in the 13th.
19th century
| Pitcher | Date | Game |
|---|---|---|
| Lee Richmond (Wor) LHP, 23 5 K Strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters.... |
June 12, 1880 |
|
| John Montgomery Ward John Montgomery Ward John Montgomery Ward , known as Monte Ward, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher, shortstop and manager. Ward was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Renovo, Pennsylvania... (Prov) RHP, 20 5 K |
June 17, 1880 |
Providence Grays The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at Messer Field in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National League title twice, in and... , 5 vs. Buffalo Bisons, 0 Messer Street Grounds Messer Street Grounds is a former baseball ground located in Providence, Rhode Island. The ground was home to the Providence Grays baseball club of the National League from 1878 to 1885.... Emil Gross Emil Michael Gross , was an American Major League Baseball catcher from -. He played for the Providence Grays, Philadelphia Quakers, and Chicago Browns/Pittsburgh Stogies. He died at the age of 63 in Eagle River, Wisconsin, and is interred in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois at Graceland... Charles F. Daniels Charles F. Daniels , was an American umpire in Major League Baseball for 25 seasons, 12 seasons at the "major league" level from to , if you count the National Association as a major league... |
Lee Richmond
Lon Knight
Alonzo P. "Lon" Knight, born Alonzo P. Letti , was an American right fielder, right-handed pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball...
throwing out Cleveland's Bill Phillips
Bill Phillips (first baseman)
William B. "Bill" Phillips , also known as Silver Bill, was a Canadian professional baseball first baseman from the mid-1870s until the late 1880s...
at first. The play came on one of three balls Cleveland hit out of the infield. Three outs were recorded on "foul bounds": balls caught after bouncing once in foul territory (the foul bound rule was eliminated three years later). A monument marks the site of the Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds
Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds
Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds was a 20-acre site in Worcester, Massachusetts in the 19th century. It was bounded by Highland Street , Sever Street , Cedar Street or Williams Street , and Agricultural Street . The grounds were just east of the large public park called Elm Park...
where the game took place, now part of the campus of Becker College
Becker College
Becker College is a college in Massachusetts, United States with campuses in Worcester and Leicester. Established in 1887, Becker College is home to two distinct campuses located in Worcester and Leicester, Massachusetts...
. The feat was recognized as unusual: a newspaper report described it as "the most wonderful game on record".
John Montgomery Ward
Monte Ward threw his perfect game at the Grays' park in Providence, but Buffalo, by virtue of a coin toss, which was the custom under the rules at that time, was officially the "home" team, batting in the bottom of each inning. At the age of 20 years, 105 days, Ward is the youngest pitcher ever to throw a perfect game. He batted sixth in the lineup. Beginning in 1881, the year after his perfect game, Ward spent more time as a position player than a pitcher; in 1885, following an arm injury, he became a full-time infielder. The five days between Ward's game and Richmond's is the shortest amount of time between major-league perfect games.Modern era
| Pitcher | Date | Game |
|---|---|---|
| Cy Young Cy Young Denton True "Cy" Young was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 22-year baseball career , he pitched for five different teams. Young was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937... (BOS) RHP, 37 8 K |
May 5, 1904 |
|
| Addie Joss Addie Joss Adrian Joss was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched his entire nine-year baseball career for the Cleveland Bronchos/Naps .-Early life:... (CLE) RHP, 28 74 pitches, 3 K |
October 2, 1908 |
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans... , 0 at Cleveland Naps Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona... , 1 League Park League Park was a baseball park located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was situated at the northeast corner of Lexington Avenue and E. 66th Street in the Hough neighborhood. It was home to the National League Cleveland Spiders, the American League Cleveland Indians, and the Cleveland... , day game Nig Clarke Jay Justin "Nig" Clarke was a professional baseball player in Major League Baseball. He is best known for, in 1902 playing for Texas League's Corsicana Oil Citys, going 8 for 8 with 8 home runs... Tom Connolly Thomas Henry Connolly was an English-American umpire in Major League Baseball. He officiated in the National League from 1898 to 1900, followed by 31 years of service in the American League from 1901 to 1931... |
| Charlie Robertson Charlie Robertson Charles Culbertson Robertson was an American Major League Baseball pitcher.Born in Dexter, Texas, and grew up in Nocona, Texas graduating from Nocona High School in 1915. Charles attended Austin College from 1917 until 1919. He began his career with the Chicago White Sox in 1919 at the age of 23... (CHW) RHP, 26 90 pitches, 6 K |
April 30, 1922 |
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans... , 2 at Detroit Tigers Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant... , 0 Ray Schalk Raymond William Schalk was a professional baseball player, coach, manager and scout. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox for the majority of his career. Known for his fine handling of pitchers and outstanding defensive ability, Schalk was considered the... |
| Don Larsen Don Larsen Donald James Larsen is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1953-67 for seven different teams. Larsen is best known for pitching the sixth perfect game in baseball history, doing so in game 5 of the 1956 World Series... (NYY) RHP, 27 97 pitches, 7 K |
October 8, 1956 |
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming... , 0 at New York Yankees New York Yankees The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division... , 2 1956 World Series The 1956 World Series of Major League Baseball was played between the New York Yankees and the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers during the month of October 1956. The Series was a rematch of the 1955 World Series... ) Yogi Berra Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees... Babe Pinelli Ralph Arthur "Babe" Pinelli, born Rinaldo Angelo Paolinelli , was an American third baseman and umpire in Major League Baseball. Born in San Francisco, his playing career was mostly with the Cincinnati Reds from 1922 to 1927. He also played with the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers... |
| Jim Bunning Jim Bunning James Paul David "Jim" Bunning is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and politician.During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1955 to 1971, most notably with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies. When he retired, he had the second-highest total of career... (PHI) RHP, 32 90 pitches, 10 K |
June 21, 1964 |
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League... , 6 at New York Mets New York Mets The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League... , 0 Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008... , day game (first game of doubleheader) Gus Triandos Gus Triandos is a Greek-American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball mostly as a catcher but also played as a first baseman for the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers of the American League and the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros... |
| Sandy Koufax Sandy Koufax Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers... (LAD) LHP, 29 113 pitches, 14 K |
September 9, 1965 |
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National... , 0 at Los Angeles Dodgers Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming... , 1 Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962... , night game Ed Vargo Edward Paul Vargo was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1960 to 1983. He officiated in the World Series, National League Championship Series and All-Star Game four times each, and also worked a number of other historic games. His 3,554 total games... |
| Catfish Hunter Catfish Hunter James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter , was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1965-1979 for both the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees... (OAK) RHP, 22 107 pitches, 11 K |
May 8, 1968 |
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the... , 0 at Oakland A's Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum.... , 4 Jim Pagliaroni James Vincent Pagliaroni was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1955-1969 for the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Pilots.... Jerry Neudecker Jerome A. Neudecker was a Major League Baseball umpire who worked in the American League from to... |
| Len Barker Len Barker Leonard Harold Barker III , better known as Lenny Barker or Len Barker, is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He pitched the tenth perfect game in baseball history. Barker pitched for the Texas Rangers , Cleveland Indians , Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers... (CLE) RHP, 25 103 pitches, 11 K |
May 15, 1981 |
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League .... , 0 at Cleveland Indians Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona... , 3 Cleveland Stadium Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football... , night game Ron Hassey Ronald William Hassey is a retired Major League Baseball catcher. Hassey began his career with the Cleveland Indians after the Indians drafted him in the 18th round of the 1976 MLB amateur draft... (1) Rich Garcia Richard Raul Garcia is a former umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1975 to 1999... |
| Mike Witt Mike Witt Michael Atwater "Mike" Witt is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.At just twenty years of age, Witt made his major league debut with the California Angels in 1981. Standing 6 feet, 7 inches tall and possessing a great curveball as well as a good fastball, Witt's breakout season came in... (CAL) RHP, 24 94 pitches, 10 K |
September 30, 1984 |
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles... , 1 at Texas Rangers Texas Rangers (baseball) The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have... , 0 Arlington Stadium Arlington Stadium was a baseball stadium located in Arlington, Texas, United States, located between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. It served as the home for the Texas Rangers from 1972 until 1993, when the team moved into The Ballpark in Arlington .-1960s:The stadium was built in 1965 as Turnpike... , day game Bob Boone Robert Raymond Boone is a former catcher and manager in Major League Baseball who was a four-time All-Star. Born in San Diego, California, Bob Boone is the son of a major league player, the late third baseman Ray Boone, and the father of two major leaguers: former second baseman Bret Boone and... Greg Kosc Gregory John Kosc is a former umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1976 to 1999. He officiated in the World Series in 1987 and 1997, and in the All-Star Game in 1981 and 1992... |
| Tom Browning Tom Browning Thomas Leo Browning is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched for the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals... (CIN) LHP, 28 100 pitches, 7 K |
September 16, 1988 |
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming... , 0 at Cincinnati Reds Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890.... , 1 Cinergy Field Riverfront Stadium , later known as Cinergy Field , was the home of the Cincinnati Reds National League baseball team and the Cincinnati Bengals National Football League team. Located on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, the stadium was best known as the home of "The Big Red Machine," as the... , night game Jeff Reed (baseball player) Jeffrey Scott Reed is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played for the Minnesota Twins , Montreal Expos , Cincinnati Reds , San Francisco Giants , Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed... Jim Quick James Edward Quick is a former Major League Baseball umpire who worked in the National League in and again from -. Quick wore uniform number 15 for most of his career.-Minor Leagues:... |
| Dennis Martínez Dennis Martínez José Dennis Martínez Emilia , nicknamed "El Presidente" , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher... (MON) RHP, 36 95 pitches, 5 K |
July 28, 1991 |
Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's... , 2 at Los Angeles Dodgers Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming... , 0 Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962... , day game Ron Hassey Ronald William Hassey is a retired Major League Baseball catcher. Hassey began his career with the Cleveland Indians after the Indians drafted him in the 18th round of the 1976 MLB amateur draft... (2) |
| Kenny Rogers Kenny Rogers (baseball player) Kenneth Scott Rogers is a former American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 20-year baseball career, he pitched from 1989-2008 for six different teams. In addition to being known for his fielding , he pitched the fourteenth perfect game in major league baseball history... (TEX) LHP, 29 98 pitches, 8 K |
July 28, 1994 |
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles... , 0 at Texas Rangers Texas Rangers (baseball) The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have... , 4 Iván Rodríguez Iván Rodríguez Torres , nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Major League Baseball catcher... |
| David Wells David Wells David Lee Wells , nicknamed "Boomer", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Wells was considered to be one of the game's better left-handed pitchers, especially during his years with the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched the fifteenth perfect game in baseball history... (NYY) LHP, 34 120 pitches, 11 K |
May 17, 1998 |
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the... , 0 at New York Yankees New York Yankees The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division... , 4 Jorge Posada Jorge Rafael Posada Villeta is a Major League Baseball player who is currently a free agent and has played his entire career for the New York Yankees. He served as the Yankees primary catcher for most of his career, though following off-season knee surgery, he was moved to designated hitter for... Tim McClelland Timothy Reid McClelland is an umpire in Major League Baseball who has worked in the American League from 1983 to 1999 and throughout both leagues since 2000. He has called many important games, from post-season games to the George Brett "Pine Tar" game in... |
| David Cone David Cone David Brian Cone is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1986-2003 for six different teams. Cone pitched the sixteenth perfect game in baseball history. He also set the MLB record for most years between 20-win seasons. He was a member of five... (NYY) RHP, 36 88 pitches, 10 K |
July 18, 1999 |
Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's... , 0 at New York Yankees New York Yankees The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division... , 6 Joe Girardi Joseph Elliott Girardi is a former Major League Baseball catcher and current manager of the New York Yankees. During a 15-year playing career, he played from 1989–2003 for the Chicago Cubs, the Colorado Rockies, the New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals... Ted Barrett Edward George "Ted" Barrett is an umpire in Major League Baseball. He joined the American League's staff in 1994, and has worked throughout both major leagues since 2000.... |
| Randy Johnson Randy Johnson Randall David Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams.... (ARI) LHP, 40 117 pitches, 13 K |
May 18, 2004 |
Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field... , 2 at Atlanta Braves Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997.... , 0 Turner Field Turner Field is a stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, home to Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves since 1997. Turner Field was originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium, it was completed in 1996 to serve as the centerpiece of the 1996 Summer Olympics... , night game Robby Hammock Robert Wade Hammock is a retired Major League Baseball catcher.-Career:Hammock was drafted three times: in 1995 by the Florida Marlins, in 1997 by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and in 1998 by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played five seasons at various minor league levels from to... Greg Gibson Gregory Allan Gibson is an umpire in Major League Baseball who has worked in the National League from 1997 to 1999 and throughout both major leagues since 2000. Throughout his career, he has worn the number 53 on his uniform... |
| Mark Buehrle Mark Buehrle Mark Alan Buehrle is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He has pitched his entire baseball career for the Chicago White Sox, starting the opening game every season from 2002 to 2006 and again from 2008 to 2011.... (CHW) LHP, 30 116 pitches, 6 K |
July 23, 2009 |
Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field... , 0 at Chicago White Sox Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans... , 5 U.S. Cellular Field U.S. Cellular Field is a baseball ballpark in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, it is the home of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball's American League. The park opened for the 1991 season, after the White Sox had spent 81 years at old Comiskey Park... , day game Ramón Castro Ramón Abraham Castro is a Major League Baseball catcher.-Early career:On June 2 1994 Castro was selected by the Houston Astros in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft, becoming the first Puerto Rican to ever be drafted in the first round... Eric Cooper Eric Richard Cooper , is an umpire in Major League Baseball who has worked both leagues since 1999.-Biography:... |
| Dallas Braden Dallas Braden Dallas Lee Braden is a left-handed pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. He was drafted out of Texas Tech University in the twenty fourth round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft by the Athletics... (OAK) LHP, 26 109 pitches, 6 K |
May 9, 2010 |
Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field... , 0 at Oakland Athletics Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum.... , 4 Landon Powell Landon Reed Powell is a catcher and first baseman for the Oakland Athletics.Powell attended the University of South Carolina. In 2002, his first season playing for them, he had a .292 batting average with 12 home runs and was part of the team that went to the College World Series... Jim Wolf James Michael Wolf is a Major League Baseball umpire. He joined the major league staff in 1999 after working in the Arizona Rookie League, the South Atlantic League, the California League, the Texas League and the Pacific Coast League. He wears uniform number 28... |
| Roy Halladay Roy Halladay Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III , nicknamed "Doc", is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies... (PHI) RHP, 33 115 pitches, 11 K |
May 29, 2010 |
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League... , 1 at Florida Marlins Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at... , 0 Mike DiMuro Michael Ryan DiMuro is an umpire in Major League Baseball. He currently resides in Colorado, is married and has three children: Megan, Cross and Michael. DiMuro graduated from the University of San Diego with a B.A. in Communications im 1990... |
Cy Young
Young's perfect game was part of a hitless streak of 24 or 25⅓ straight innings—depending on whether or not partial innings at either end of the streak are included. In either calculation, the streak remains a record. It was also part of a streak of 45 straight innings in which Young did not give up a run, which was then a record.Addie Joss
Joss's was the most pressure-packed of any regular-season perfect game. With just four games left on their schedule, the Naps were locked in a tight three-way pennant race with the Tigers and the White Sox, that day's opponents. Joss's counterpart, the great Ed WalshEd Walsh
Edward Augustine Walsh was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He holds the record for lowest career ERA, 1.82.-Baseball career:Born in Plains Township, Pennsylvania, Walsh had a brief though remarkable major league career...
, struck out 15 and gave up just four scattered singles. The lone, unearned run scored as a result of a botched pickoff play and a wild pitch. The Naps ended the day tied with the Tigers for first, with the White Sox two games back; the Tigers would ultimately win the league by a half game over the Naps. Joss would throw a second no-hitter against the White Sox in 1910, making him the only major league pitcher ever to throw two no-hitters against the same team.
Charlie Robertson
Robertson's perfect game was only his fifth appearance, and fourth start, in the big leagues. He finished his career with the fewest wins and lowest winning percentage (49–80, .380) of any perfect-game pitcher. The Tigers, led by player-manager Ty CobbTy Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb , nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia...
, accused Robertson of illegally doctoring the ball with oil or grease. In terms of the opposing team's ability to get on base, this is statistically the most unlikely of perfectos: the 1922 Tigers had an on-base percentage (OBP) of .373.
Don Larsen
Larsen didn't know he would pitch in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series until a few hours before gametime. In his perfect game, Larsen employed the style he had adopted in mid-season, working without a windupPitching position
In baseball, there are two legal pitching positions: the windup, and the set. Each type of pitching position has its strengths and weaknesses. Compared to the set, the windup takes a relatively slower execution, so therefore is better suited for situations in which there are no baserunners, or when...
. Just one Dodgers batter—Pee Wee Reese
Pee Wee Reese
Harold Peter Henry "Pee Wee" Reese was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from to . A ten-time All Star, Reese contributed to seven National League championships for the Dodgers and, was inducted...
, in the first inning—worked a three-ball count
Count (baseball)
In baseball, the count refers to the number of balls and strikes a batter has in his current plate appearance. It is usually announced as a pair of numbers, for example, 3-1 , with the first number being the number of balls and the second being the number of strikes.An individual pitch may also be...
. The Dodgers had the highest season winning percentage of any team ever to lose a perfect game: .604. The image of catcher Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
leaping into Larsen's arms after the final strike is one of the most famous in baseball history. The 34 years between Robertson's feat and Larsen's is the longest gap between perfect games.
Jim Bunning
Bunning's perfect game, pitched on Father's DayFather's Day
Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June but it is also celebrated widely on other days...
, was the first in the National League since Ward's 84 years before. Defying the baseball superstition that holds one should not talk about a no-hitter in progress, Bunning spoke to his teammates about the perfect game as it developed to loosen them up and relieve the pressure.
Sandy Koufax
Koufax's perfect game was the first one pitched at night. It was nearly a double no-hitter, as Cubs pitcher Bob HendleyBob Hendley
Charles Robert Hendley is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.Born in Macon, Georgia, Hendley was signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent in 1958. After the 1963 season, Hendley was traded to the San Francisco Giants in a six-player deal; one of the three players the Braves...
gave up only one hit, a bloop double to left-fielder Lou Johnson
Lou Johnson
Louis Brown Johnson , nicknamed "Sweet Lou" and "Slick", is a former Major League Baseball outfielder...
in the seventh inning that did not figure in the scoring. The Dodgers scored their only run in the fifth inning: Lou Johnson reached first on a walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, stole third, and scored when Cubs catcher Chris Krug
Chris Krug
Everett Ben "Chris" Krug is a former Major League Baseball catcher. Krug was signed by the St...
overthrew third base on the play. The game also set records for the fewest number of hits by both teams, one, and the fewest number of base runners by both teams, two (both Johnson). Koufax's 14 strikeouts are the most ever thrown by a perfect game pitcher.
Catfish Hunter
Hunter, a talented batter, was also the hitting star of his perfect game. He went 3 for 4 with a double and 3 RBIsRun batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
, including a bunt single that drove home the first and thus winning run in the seventh inning—easily the best offensive performance ever by a perfect game pitcher. This was the first no-hitter of the Athletics' Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
tenure, which was only 25 games old.
Len Barker
Barker's perfect game was the first one in which designated hitterDesignated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
s were used. He didn't reach a three-ball count in the entire game. Toronto shortstop Alfredo Griffin
Alfredo Griffin
Alfredo Claudino Griffin is a former Major League Baseball player, who played shortstop for four teams from 1976 to 1993. He is currently the first base coach for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.-Playing career:...
, who played for the losing team in this game, went on to play for the losers in the perfect games of Browning and Martínez. All 11 of Barker's strikeouts were swinging.
Mike Witt
Witt's perfect game came on the last day of the 1984 season. Reggie JacksonReggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
, who drove in the only run of the game on a seventh-inning fielder's choice ground ball, was also on the winning team in Hunter's perfect game. On April 11, 1990, Witt, pitching out of the bullpen, combined with starting pitcher Mark Langston
Mark Langston
Mark Edward Langston is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched for the Seattle Mariners , Montreal Expos , California and Anaheim Angels , San Diego Padres , and Cleveland Indians...
to throw a no-hitter for the California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
.
Tom Browning
Browning's perfect game came against the team that eventually won that year's World Series, the only time that has happened. A two-hour, twenty-seven-minute rain delay caused the game to start at approximately 10 PM. Right fielder Paul O'Neill, who played for the winning side in this game, also played for the winning side in the perfect games of Wells and Cone. The following July 4, Browning came within an inning of becoming the first pitcher to throw two perfect games, retiring the first 24 batters in a game against the Phillies before surrendering a leadoff double in the ninth.Dennis Martínez
Martínez, born in Granada, NicaraguaGranada, Nicaragua
Granada is a city in western Nicaragua and the capital of the Granada Department. With an estimated population of 110,326 , it is Nicaragua's fourth most populous city. Granada is historically one of Nicaragua's most important cities, economically and politically...
, is the only major league pitcher born outside of the United States to throw a perfect game. Martínez reached only one three-ball count. Opposing pitcher Mike Morgan
Mike Morgan
Michael Thomas Morgan is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He competed for twelve different teams over 25 years, and is one of only 29 players in baseball history to date to have played Major League baseball over four decades...
was perfect through five full innings, the latest the opposing starter in a perfect game has remained perfect. Two days earlier, Expos pitcher Mark Gardner
Mark Gardner (baseball player)
Mark Allan Gardner is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball and current bullpen coach for the San Francisco Giants.-Playing career:...
no-hit the Dodgers through nine innings but lost the no-hitter in the tenth, meaning the Expos narrowly missed throwing a no-hitter and a perfect game in the same series. Martínez's catcher, Ron Hassey
Ron Hassey
Ronald William Hassey is a retired Major League Baseball catcher. Hassey began his career with the Cleveland Indians after the Indians drafted him in the 18th round of the 1976 MLB amateur draft...
, also caught Len Barker's perfect game. This was the third perfect game pitched against the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, joining those of Larsen and Browning; the only other teams to lose more than one perfect game are the Twins (Hunter and Wells) and the Rays (Buehrle and Braden).
Kenny Rogers
Rogers benefited from center fielder Rusty GreerRusty Greer
Thurman Clyde "Rusty" Greer III is a former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Texas Rangers...
's fantastic diving catch of a line drive hit by Rex Hudler
Rex Hudler
Rex Allen Hudler is a former Major League Baseball utility player. He played a total of thirteen seasons after being a first round draft pick of the New York Yankees in 1978.-Playing career:...
, leading off the ninth inning. Rogers's performance against the Angels came 10 seasons after Witt's perfect game against the Rangers. The Angels and Rangers are the only major league teams to record perfect games against each other.
David Wells
Wells attended the same high school as Don Larsen: Point Loma High SchoolPoint Loma High School
Point Loma High School is a public high school in the San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, California. It is located in the Loma Portal neighborhood of Point Loma. The school serves the neighborhoods of Point Loma and Ocean Beach. In addition, students who live in Mission Hills may...
, San Diego, California. They also both enjoyed the night life. Casey Stengel
Casey Stengel
Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel , nicknamed "The Old Perfessor", was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in ....
once said of Larsen, "The only thing he fears is sleep." Wells has claimed to have been "half-drunk" and suffering from a "raging, skull-rattling hangover" during his perfect game. Wells's perfect game comprised the core of a streak of 38 consecutive retired batters (May 12–23, 1998) an American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
record he held until 2007.
David Cone
Cone's perfect game occurred on Yogi BerraYogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
Day. Don Larsen threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Berra, who had been his catcher during the 1956 World Series perfect game. Not a single Expo worked even a three-ball count. Cone's perfect game, to date the only one in regular-season interleague play
Interleague play
Interleague play is the term used to describe regular season Major League Baseball games played between teams in different leagues, introduced in . Before the 1997 season, teams in the American League and National League did not meet during the regular season...
, was interrupted by a 33-minute rain delay. This also represents the only time two successive perfect games have been thrown by the same team. This was the third perfect game in Yankee history; the Indians (Joss and Barker), White Sox (Robertson and Buehrle), A's (Hunter and Braden), and Phillies (Bunning and Halladay) are the other teams to have more than one perfect game.
Randy Johnson
Johnson threw his perfect game at the age of 40 years, 256 days, becoming, by more than three-and-a-half years, the oldest pitcher to achieve the feat. The former holder of the mark, Cy Young, threw his at the age of 37 years, 37 days. Of the 20 teams to have a perfect game thrown against them, the 2004 Braves2004 Atlanta Braves season
-Offseason:*October 25, 2003: DeWayne Wise was signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves.*November 14, 2003: Jorge Velandia was signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves.*December 13, 2003: J.D. Drew was traded by the St...
have the second-highest OBP (.343) and are tied for the second-highest winning percentage (.593). In contrast, the Diamondbacks
2004 Arizona Diamondbacks season
The 2004 Arizona Diamondbacks looked to improve on their 84-78 record from 2003. They looked to contend in what was a weaker National League West than in years past. They finished the season with a record of 51-111, in last place in the division...
had by far the worst season winning percentage (.315) of any team to benefit from a perfect game.
Mark Buehrle
Buehrle was assisted by a dramatic ninth-inning wall-climbing catch by center fielder DeWayne WiseDewayne Wise
Larry DeWayne Wise is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He graduated from Chapin High School in 1997 and was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 5th round of the 1997 amateur draft...
to rob Gabe Kapler
Gabe Kapler
Gabriel "Gabe" Stefan Kapler is an American Major League Baseball outfielder.He has played portions of 13 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Tampa Bay Rays...
of a home run; Wise entered the game as a defensive replacement in that inning. This was the first major league perfect game in which the pitcher and catcher were battery
Battery (baseball)
In baseball, the term battery refers collectively to the pitcher and the catcher, who may also be called batterymen or batterymates of one another.- History :...
-mates for the first time; Ramón Castro
Ramón Castro
Ramón Abraham Castro is a Major League Baseball catcher.-Early career:On June 2 1994 Castro was selected by the Houston Astros in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft, becoming the first Puerto Rican to ever be drafted in the first round...
had been acquired by the White Sox less than two months before. This was also the first perfect game to feature a grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
, by Josh Fields in the bottom of the second inning. Umpire Eric Cooper
Eric Cooper
Eric Richard Cooper , is an umpire in Major League Baseball who has worked both leagues since 1999.-Biography:...
, who called the game, was behind the plate for Buehrle's previous no-hitter, as well. On July 28, Buehrle followed up with another 5 2/3 innings of perfection to set the major league record for consecutive batters retired at 45 (including the final batter he faced in his last appearance before the perfect game).
Dallas Braden
Braden's perfect game, pitched on Mother's DayMother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
, was the first complete game of his career. It was the first time a perfect game has been pitched against the team with the best record in the majors at the time; coming into the contest, the Rays were 22–8. The 2010 Rays are tied for the second-highest winning percentage (.593) of any team to be on the receiving end of a perfect game. Following Buehrle's, this was the second successive perfect game thrown against the Rays, the second team to have successive perfect games against them (the first was the Dodgers in 1988 and 1991). This game came 290 days after Buehrle's, the shortest period between modern-day perfect games until Halladay's occurred.
Roy Halladay
Halladay pitched the second perfect game of the 2010 season 20 days after Braden's, the shortest period between perfect games in the modern era. With Buehrle's 2009 performance, this is the first time in major league history that three perfect games occurred within a one-year span. Seven batters reached three-ball counts against Halladay. With his no-hitter in game 1 of the Phillies' 2010 NL Division Series against the Cincinnati Reds, Halladay became the only perfect game pitcher to throw another no-hitter in the same season. He also became only the second pitcher, after Sandy Koufax, to throw a perfect game and win the Cy Young Award in the same season.General notes
Three perfect-game pitchers had RBIs in their games: Hunter (3), Bunning (2), and Young (1). Hunter had three hits; Richmond, Ward, Bunning, and Martínez each had one. No pitcher has ever scored a run during his perfect game. Barker, Witt, Rogers, Wells, Cone, Buehrle, and Braden did not bat in their perfect games, as the American League adopted the designated hitter rule in 1973. The latest the winning runs have been scored in a perfect game is the seventh inning—this occurred in the games of Hunter (bottom), Witt (top), and Martínez (top).Seven perfect-game pitchers have also thrown at least one additional no-hitter: Young, Joss, Bunning, Koufax, Johnson, Buehrle, and Halladay. Witt participated in a combined no-hitter. Koufax has the most total no-hitters of any perfect-game pitcher, with four. Richmond and Robertson were rookies, though each had made a single appearance in a previous season. Although by the latter part of the 20th century, major league games were being played predominantly at night, six of the last ten perfect games, and four of the last six, have taken place in the daytime. The introduction of the designated hitter might have been expected to make perfect games more difficult to achieve in the AL. In fact, since 1973, seven perfect games have been thrown with the DH rule in effect (including one interleague game held at an American League park) and only four without it. Of the thirty teams that currently make up Major League Baseball, ten have never been involved in a perfect game, win or lose: the Giants, Cardinals, Pirates, Orioles, Royals, Mariners, Brewers, Astros, Padres, and Rockies.
Unofficial perfect games
- On June 23, 1917, Babe RuthBabe RuthGeorge Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
, then a pitcher with the Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, walked the Washington SenatorsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
' first batter, Ray MorganRay MorganRaymond Caryll Morgan was an infielder in Major League Baseball, playing mainly as a second baseman for the Washington Senators from through . Listed at 5' 8", 155 lb., Morgan batted and threw right-handed...
, on four straight pitches. Ruth, who had already been shouting at umpire Brick OwensBrick OwensClarence Bernard "Brick" Owens was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League in 1908 and 1912-1913, and in the American League from 1916 through 1937. He officiated in the World Series in 1918, 1922, 1925, 1928 and 1934, serving as crew chief for the last two...
about the quality of his calls, became even angrier and, in short order, was ejected. Enraged, Ruth charged Owens, swung at him, and had to be led off the field by a policeman. Ernie ShoreErnie ShoreErnest Grady Shore was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox during some of their best years in the 1910s....
came in to replace Ruth, while catcher Sam AgnewSam AgnewSamuel Lester Agnew was a catcher in Major League Baseball. From 1913 through 1919, he played for the St. Louis Browns , Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators . Agnew batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Farmington, Missouri.Agnew debuted with the St. Louis Browns on April 10,...
took over behind the plate for Pinch ThomasPinch ThomasChester David Thomas was a backup catcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1912 through 1921 for the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians . Listed at 5' 9.5", 173 lb., Thomas batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
. Morgan was caught stealing by Agnew on the first pitch by Shore, who proceeded to retire the next 26 batters. All 27 outs were made while Shore was on the mound. Once recognized as a perfect game by Major League Baseball, this still counts as a combined no-hitter. - On May 26, 1959, Harvey HaddixHarvey HaddixHarvey Haddix, Jr. was a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who played with the St. Louis Cardinals , Philadelphia Phillies , Cincinnati Redlegs , Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles . Haddix was born in Medway, Ohio, located just outside of Springfield...
of the Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
pitched what is often referred to as the greatest game in baseball history. Haddix carried a perfect game through an unprecedented 12 innings against the Milwaukee BravesAtlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, only to have it ruined when an error by third baseman Don HoakDon HoakDonald Albert Hoak was a Major League Baseball player. Nicknamed "Tiger," Hoak was a third baseman who played ten seasons in the Majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers , Chicago Cubs , Cincinnati Reds , Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies...
allowed Felix MantillaFelix Mantilla LamelaFélix Mantilla Lamela is a former Major League Baseball player. In his 11-year career, Mantilla played for the Milwaukee Braves , New York Mets , Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros . An infielder/outfielder, he played second base the majority of his career...
, the leadoff batter in the bottom of the 13th inning, to reach base. A sacrifice by Eddie MathewsEddie MathewsEdwin Lee "Eddie" Mathews was an American Major League Baseball third baseman. He is regarded as one of the greatest third basemen ever to play the game.-Early life:...
and an intentional walk to Hank Aaron followed; the next batter, Joe AdcockJoe AdcockJoseph Wilbur "Billy Joe" Adcock was an American first baseman and right-handed batter in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the powerful Milwaukee Braves teams of the 1950s, whose career included numerous home run feats...
, hit a home run that became a double when he passed Aaron on the bases. Haddix and the Pirates had lost the game 1–0; despite their 12 hits in the game, they could not bring a run home. The 12 perfect innings—36 consecutive batters retired in a single game—remains a record. - On June 3, 1995, Pedro MartínezPedro MartínezPedro Jaime Martínez is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He is an eight-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and 2004 World Series champion...
of the Montreal ExposMontreal ExposThe Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
had a perfect game through nine innings against the San Diego PadresSan Diego PadresThe San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
. The Expos scored a run in the top of the tenth inning, but in the bottom, Martínez gave up a leadoff double to Bip RobertsBip RobertsLeon Joseph "Bip" Roberts is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and outfielder who played from 1986 to 1998 for the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, and Oakland Athletics.-Career:He was a speedy second baseman, largely associated...
, and was relieved by Mel RojasMel RojasMelquiades Rojas Medrano was a pitcher with a 10 year career from 1990 to 1999. He played for the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League and the Detroit Tigers of the American League.His best season was in 1992, when he posted a 7-1 record in 68...
, who retired the next three batters. Martínez was therefore the winning pitcher in a 1–0 Expos victory.
Four other games in which one team failed to reach base are not official perfect games because they were called off before nine innings were played:
- On August 11, 1907, Ed KargerEd KargerEdwin Karger was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1911. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston Red Sox...
of the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
pitched seven perfect innings against the Boston BravesAtlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
; second game of doubleheaderDoubleheader (baseball)A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
called by prior agreement. - On October 5, 1907, Rube VickersRube VickersHarry Porter "Rube" Vickers , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played in the majors from 1902-1909 for the Brooklyn Superbas, Cincinnati Reds, and Philadelphia Athletics.-External links:...
of the Philadelphia AthleticsOakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
pitched five perfect innings against the Senators; second game of doubleheader called on account of darkness. Vickers achieved his feat on the last day of the season. He also pitched the final 12 innings of the 15-inning first game. His back-to-back victories were his only wins of the year. - On August 6, 1967, Dean ChanceDean ChanceWilmer Dean Chance is a former American Major League Baseball pitcher. Over the right hander's 11-year major league career, he would play for the Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, and Detroit Tigers...
of the Minnesota TwinsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
pitched five perfect innings against the Red Sox; game called on account of rain. - On April 21, 1984, David PalmerDavid Palmer (baseball)David William Palmer, Jr. , is a former professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1978-1989. Palmer would play for the Montreal Expos, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and Detroit Tigers.-Early life:Palmer was a star pitcher for the Glens Falls High School...
of the Expos pitched five perfect innings against the Cardinals; second game of doubleheader called on account of rain.
On March 14, 2000, in a spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
game—by definition unofficial—the Red Sox used six pitchers to retire all 27 Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
batters in a 5–0 victory. The starting pitcher for the Red Sox was Pedro Martínez (see above).
Perfect games spoiled by the 27th batter
On ten occasions in Major League Baseball history, a perfect game has been spoiled when the batter representing what would have been the third and final out in the ninth inning reached base. Unless otherwise noted, the pitcher in question finished and won the game without allowing any more baserunners:- On July 4, 1908, Hooks WiltseHooks WiltseGeorge Leroy "Hooks" Wiltse was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1904 to 1915. He was the brother of pitcher Snake Wiltse....
of the New York GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
hit Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
pitcher George McQuillanGeorge McQuillanGeorge Watt McQuillan , born in Brooklyn, New York, was a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies , Cincinnati Reds , Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians ....
on a 2–2 count in a scoreless game—the only time a 0–0 perfect game has been broken up by the 27th batter. Umpire Cy RiglerCy RiglerCharles "Cy" Rigler was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1906 to 1935. His total of 4,144 games ranked fourth in major league history when he retired, and his 2,468 games as a plate umpire still place him third behind his NL contemporaries Bill...
later admitted that he should have called the previous pitch strike 3. Wiltse pitched on, winning 1–0; his ten-inning no-hitter set a record for longest complete game no-hitter that has been tied twice but never broken. - On August 5, 1932, Tommy BridgesTommy BridgesThomas Jefferson Davis Bridges was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers from 1930 to 1946...
of the Detroit TigersDetroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
gave up a pinch-hit single to the Washington Senators' Dave HarrisDave Harris (baseball player)David Stanley Harris was a professional baseball player who played outfielder in the Major Leagues from to . He played for the Boston Braves, Chicago White Sox, and Washington Senators.-External links:...
. - On June 27, 1958, Billy PierceBilly PierceWalter William Pierce is a former left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the Chicago White Sox. He was the team's star pitcher between 1952 and 1961, and was named the American League's top pitcher in 1956 and 1957 after being runner-up in both 1953...
of the Chicago White SoxChicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
gave up a double, which landed just inches in fair territory, on his first pitch to Senators pinch hitter Ed Fitz GeraldEd Fitz GeraldEdward Raymond Fitz Gerald is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played from - for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Senators and Cleveland Indians. He attended Saint Mary's College of California...
. - On September 2, 1972, Milt PappasMilt PappasMilton Steven "Milt" Pappas is a former professional baseball pitcher...
of the Chicago CubsChicago CubsThe Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
walked San Diego Padres pinch hitter Larry StahlLarry StahlLarry Floyd Stahl , is a retired professional baseball player who played outfielder in the Major Leagues from -...
on a borderline 3–2 pitch. Pappas finished with a no-hitter. The umpire, Bruce FroemmingBruce FroemmingBruce Neal Froemming is Major League Baseball Special Assistant to the Vice President on Umpiring, after having served as an umpire in Major League Baseball. He is the longest-tenured umpire in major league history in terms of the number of full seasons umpired, finishing his 37th season in 2007...
, was in his second year; he went on to a 37-year career in which he umpired a record 11 no-hitters. Pappas believed he had struck out Stahl, and years later continued to bear ill will toward Froemming. - On April 15, 1983, Milt WilcoxMilt WilcoxMilton Edward Wilcox was a pitcher who had a sixteen-year career from 1970 to 1975, 1977–1986. He played for the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs of the National League and the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners of the American League...
of the Tigers surrendered a pinch-hit single to the White Sox' Jerry Hairston, Sr. - On May 2, 1988, Ron Robinson of the Cincinnati RedsCincinnati RedsThe Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
gave up a single to the Montreal Expos' Wallace Johnson. Robinson then allowed a two-run homer to Tim RainesTim RainesTimothy Raines , nicknamed "Rock", is a former American professional baseball player. He played as a left fielder in Major League Baseball for six teams from 1979 to 2002 and was best known for his 13 seasons with the Montreal Expos...
and was removed from the game. The final score was 3–2, with Robinson the winner. (Robinson's teammate Tom Browning threw his perfect game later that season.) - On August 4, 1989, Dave StiebDave StiebDavid Andrew Stieb [STEEB] is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays.-Playing career:Born in Santa Ana, California, Stieb played varsity baseball at Southern Illinois University as an outfielder...
of the Toronto Blue Jays gave up a double to the New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
' Roberto KellyRoberto KellyRoberto Conrado Kelly is a former Outfielder in Major League Baseball and is currently the first base coach for the San Francisco Giants. He previously managed the Giants' single-A team, the Augusta GreenJackets. Kelly played for several major league clubs...
, followed by an RBI single by Steve SaxSteve SaxStephen Louis Sax is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball. He was a right-handed batter for the Los Angeles Dodgers , New York Yankees , Chicago White Sox , and the Oakland Athletics ....
. Stieb finished with a 2–1 victory. This was the third time Stieb had a no-hitter broken up with two outs in the ninth inning. - On April 20, 1990, Brian HolmanBrian HolmanBrian Scott Holman is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is now the Managing Director and Principal for Ronald Blue & Co.'s branch office in Kansas City, Kansas....
of the Seattle MarinersSeattle MarinersThe Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
gave up a home run to Ken PhelpsKen PhelpsKenneth Allan Phelps, nicknamed "Digger", is a former Major League Baseball designated hitter and first baseman. During an 11-year baseball career, he played from 1980-1990 for six different teams, but he played primarily with the Seattle Mariners...
of the Oakland AthleticsOakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
. - On September 2, 2001, Mike MussinaMike MussinaMichael Cole Mussina , nicknamed Moose, is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played for the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees ....
of the Yankees gave up a two-strike single to Boston Red Sox pinch hitter Carl EverettCarl EverettCarl Edward Everett III is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently an outfielder for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. A switch hitter, he played with the Chicago White Sox on their 2005 World Series winning team...
. The opposing pitcher in the game was David Cone, who had thrown the most recent perfect game two years earlier as a Yankee.
- On June 2, 2010, Armando GalarragaArmando GalarragaArmando Antonio Galarraga is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. Galarraga made his Major League Baseball debut with the Texas Rangers on September 15, 2007...
of the Tigers was charged with a single when first-base umpire Jim JoyceJim JoyceJames A. "Jim" Joyce III is a Major League Baseball umpire who has worked in the American League from 1987 to 1999 and throughout both major leagues since 2000. He wears uniform number 66...
incorrectly ruled Jason DonaldJason Donald (baseball)Jason Thomas Donald is an Olympian for the United States and a Major League Baseball shortstop who currently plays for the Cleveland Indians...
of the Cleveland IndiansCleveland IndiansThe Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
safe on an infield grounder. After the game, Joyce acknowledged his mistake: "I just cost that kid a perfect game. I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay." Tyler Kepner of the New York Times wrote that no call had been "so important and so horribly botched" since the 1985 World Series. Galarraga retired the next batter. Having taken place just four days after Halladay's feat, the game would have set a new mark for proximity had it been perfect; it would also have been the third perfect game in a 25-day span. Donald was awarded first base on Galarraga's 83rd pitch, which would have made it the second most efficient perfect game on record.
Nine or more consecutive innings of perfection
There have been thirteen occasions in Major League Baseball history when a pitcher—or, in one case, multiple pitchers—recorded at least 27 consecutive outs after one or more runners reached base. In four instances, the game went into extra innings and the pitcher(s) recorded more than 27 consecutive outs:- On May 11, 1919, Walter JohnsonWalter JohnsonWalter Perry Johnson , nicknamed "Barney" and "The Big Train", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Washington Senators...
, pitching for the Senators against the Yankees, retired 28 batters in row: After surrendering a one-out single in the first to Roger PeckinpaughRoger PeckinpaughRoger Thorpe Peckinpaugh was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians , New York Yankees , Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox...
and then retiring the next two batters to end the inning, he was perfect in the second through the ninth. He recorded two outs in the tenth, before giving up a walk to Home Run Baker. The first Sunday game to be played legally in New York, it was ended after the 12th inning, still scoreless, because Yankee owner Jacob RuppertJacob RuppertJacob Ruppert, Jr. , sometimes referred to as Jake Ruppert, was a National Guard colonel; a U.S. Representative from New York; and brewery owner, who went on to own the New York Yankees...
mistakenly believed the new law barred play after 6 PM. - On September 24, 1919, Waite HoytWaite HoytWaite Charles Hoyt was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, one of the dominant pitchers of the 1920s, and the winningest pitcher for the New York Yankees during that decade...
, pitching for the Red Sox against the Yankees in the second game of a doubleheader, gave up a run in the second inning. The Red Sox tied the game in the ninth on a solo home run by Babe RuthBabe RuthGeorge Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
, his then record-breaking 28th of the season. The game report in the New York Times states, "Hoyt gave a remarkable performance of his pitching skill, and from the fourth inning to the thirteenth he did not allow a hit and not a Yankee runner reached first base. In these nine hitless innings the youngster was at the top of his form". The Yankees eventually won 2–1 when, in the 13th, Wally PippWally PippWalter Clement Pipp was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball, now best remembered as the man who lost his starting role to Lou Gehrig at the beginning of Gehrig's streak of 2,130 consecutive games....
tripled and was brought home by a sacrifice fly. (The New York Times report states that Pipp tripled with "two out"—evidently a typographical or counting error, as the subsequent sacrifice fly, which is described in detail, would not then have been possible.) Play-by-play records are not currently available for the game, but it appears that Hoyt recorded no less than 28 consecutive outs—the last out in the third inning and 27 in the perfect nine innings encompassing the fourth through the 12th. - On September 18, 1971, Rick WiseRick WiseRichard Charles Wise is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for 18 seasons...
, pitching for the Phillies against the Cubs, gave up a home run to the leadoff batter in the second inning, Frank FernandezFrank Fernández (baseball)Frank Fernández is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He signed as an amateur free agent with the New York Yankees upon graduation from Curtis High School in Staten Island in . He spent six seasons in their minor league system before debuting with the Yankees as a September call-up in...
. He did not allow another baserunner until Ron SantoRon SantoRonald Edward Santo was an American professional baseball player and long-time radio sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball from 1960 to 1974, most notably as the third baseman for the Chicago Cubs. A nine-time All-Star, he was a powerful hitter who was also a good defensive...
singled with two outs in the top of the 12th. Wise retired the next batter and the Phillies scored in the bottom of the inning, making him the winner, 4–3. Wise had been perfect for 10 2/3, retiring 32 consecutive batters—the record for most consecutive outs in a game by a winning pitcher. At the plate, Wise helped his cause by going 3 for 6, with a double and the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the 12th. The starting pitcher for the Cubs was Milt Pappas, who would have his near-perfect game one year later. - On July 6, 2005, A.J. Burnett, pitching for the Florida MarlinsFlorida MarlinsThe Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
, surrendered a two-out single in the third inning that gave the Milwaukee BrewersMilwaukee BrewersThe Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
a 4–1 lead. It was the fourth hit he had given up, on top of five walks. He then retired the next ten batters before leaving the game with the Marlins trailing 4–2. In his six innings, he struck out 14. Jim MecirJim MecirJames Jason Mecir is an American former baseball player. He played for five teams in an 11-year career, and retired from the Florida Marlins in . He was a right-handed pitcher....
pitched a perfect seventh and Guillermo MotaGuillermo MotaGuillermo Reynoso Mota is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He stands tall and weighs . He throws and bats right-handed. Mota has played for the Montreal Expos, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Florida Marlins, the Cleveland Indians, the New York Mets, the Milwaukee Brewers and the San...
pitched a perfect eighth and ninth as the Marlins rallied to send the game into extra innings. Todd JonesTodd Jones (baseball player)Todd Barton Jones is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was an effective middle reliever for a variety of teams, and he had an up-and-down career as a closer...
was perfect in the 10th and 11th and Valerio de los SantosValerio de los SantosValerio Lorenzo de los Santos is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently playing for the independent Long Island Ducks....
picked up the win with a perfect 12th, for a total of 28 straight batters retired starting with the final batter of the third inning.
- On June 30, 1908, Red Sox pitcher Cy YoungCy YoungDenton True "Cy" Young was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 22-year baseball career , he pitched for five different teams. Young was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937...
walked the New York HighlandersNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
' leadoff batter, Harry NilesHarry NilesHerbert Clyde Niles was an outfielder/infielder in Major League Baseball who played for four different teams between the 1906 and 1910 seasons. Listed at 5' 8" 175 lb., Niles batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Buchanan, Michigan.Niles entered the majors in 1906 with the St...
, who was caught stealing. No one else reached base against Young, who also had three hits and four RBIs in Boston's 8–0 win. It was the third no-hitter of Young's career and about as close as possible to being his second perfect game. He is the only pitcher in major league history to retire 27 consecutive men in a game on two separate occasions.
The remaining instances in which a pitcher recorded 27 consecutive outs in a game, noting how the opponent's leadoff batter (or batters) reached base:
- May 24, 1884, Al AtkinsonAl Atkinson (baseball)Albert Wright Atkinson was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played three seasons; one in the Union Association and parts of three seasons in the American Association. He became the first player to desert his existing contract to jump over to the Union Association...
/Philadelphia AthleticsPhiladelphia Athletics (American Association)The Philadelphia Athletics were a professional baseball team, one of six charter members of the American Association, a 19th-century major league, which began play in 1882 as a rival to the National League. The other teams were the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Red Stockings, Eclipse of...
(Pittsburgh AlleghenysPittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
' Ed SwartwoodEd SwartwoodCyrus Edward Swartwood was an American professional baseball player and umpire. He played all or part of nine seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as a right fielder and first baseman. He played for the Buffalo Bisons , Pittsburgh Alleghenys/Pirates , Brooklyn Grays , and Toledo Maumees...
hit by pitch, stole second, reached third on a groundout, and scored on a passed ball) - May 16, 1953, Curt SimmonsCurt SimmonsCurtis Thomas "Curt" Simmons is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1947–50 and 1952-67. With right-hander Robin Roberts, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Simmons was one of the twin anchors of the starting rotation of the "Whiz Kids", the Philadelphia Phillies' ...
/Philadelphia Phillies (single by Milwaukee Braves' Bill BrutonBill BrutonWilliam Havon Bruton was a Major League Baseball center fielder who played for the Milwaukee Braves in 1953 through 1960, and for the Detroit Tigers in 1961 through 64. Bruton batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
) - May 13, 1954, Robin RobertsRobin Roberts (baseball player)Robin Evan Roberts was a Major League Baseball starting pitcher who pitched primarily for the Philadelphia Phillies . He spent the latter part of his career with the Baltimore Orioles , Houston Astros , and Chicago Cubs...
/Phillies (home run by Reds' Bobby AdamsBobby AdamsRobert Henry Adams was a third baseman/second baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the Cincinnati Reds & Redlegs , Chicago White Sox , Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs . Adams batted and threw right-handed...
) - July 1, 1966, Woodie FrymanWoodie FrymanWoodrow Thompson Fryman was a Major League Baseball pitcher. A two-time National League All-Star, he is best remembered as the mid-season acquisition that helped lead the Detroit Tigers to the 1972 American League Championship Series.-Pittsburgh Pirates:Fryman was 25 years old when he signed with...
/Pittsburgh Pirates (single by New York MetsNew York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
' Ron HuntRon HuntRonald Kenneth Hunt is a former Major League Baseball player. A second baseman who also played third base sparingly, Hunt played for the New York Mets , Los Angeles Dodgers , San Francisco Giants , Montreal Expos and St...
) - May 19, 1981, Jim BibbyJim BibbyJames Blair Bibby was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched from 1972-1984 with the St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, and Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom he was a member of its 1979 World Series Champions...
/Pirates (single by Atlanta BravesAtlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
' Terry Harper) - June 11, 1982, Jerry ReussJerry ReussJerry Reuss -- pronounced "royce" -- is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the United States, who had a 22-year career from to ....
/Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
(double by Reds' Eddie MilnerEddie MilnerEdward James Milner is a former professional baseball player. He played all or part of nine seasons in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants , primarily as a center fielder. Milner batted and threw left-handed.Eddie Milner was drafted out of Central State...
, who reached third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a fielder's choice) - April 22, 1993, Chris BosioChris BosioChristopher Louis Bosio is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners from to and a current major league pitching coach...
/Seattle Mariners (walks by Red Sox Ernest RilesErnest RilesErnest Riles is a former shortstop and third baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1985 through 1993, Riles played for the Milwaukee Brewers , San Francisco Giants , Oakland Athletics , Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox...
and Carlos QuintanaCarlos Quintana (baseball)Carlos Narciso Quintana Hernandez is a former Major League Baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox from 1988-1993.-Professional career:...
, the latter of whom was retired on a double play) - July 7, 2006, John LackeyJohn LackeyJohn Derran Lackey is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. Lackey was drafted by the Anaheim Angels in 1999 and helped the franchise win its first World Series title in 2002, which was his first season in the major leagues...
/Los Angeles Angels (double by Oakland Athletics' Mark KotsayMark KotsayMark Steven Kotsay is an American professional baseball outfielder with the San Diego Padres...
)
No-hit, no-walk, no–hit batsman games
In Major League Baseball play since 1893, with the essential modern rules in place, there have been eight instances when a pitcher allowed not a single baserunner through his pitching efforts over a complete game of at least nine innings, but was not awarded a perfect game because of fielding errors:- On June 13, 1905, Christy MathewsonChristy MathewsonChristopher "Christy" Mathewson , nicknamed "Big Six", "The Christian Gentleman", or "Matty", was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire career in what is known as the dead-ball era...
of the New York Giants pitched masterfully, but two Cubs nonetheless reached base on errors by shortstop Bill DahlenBill DahlenWilliam Frederick Dahlen , nicknamed "Bad Bill" for his ferocious temperament, was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball for four National League teams from to...
and second baseman Billy GilbertBilly GilbertBilly Gilbert was an American comedian and actor known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects and television shows starting in 1929. He is not to be confused with silent film actor Billy Gilbert Billy Gilbert (September 12, 1894 – September 23,...
. In a classic pitching duel, the Cubs' Mordecai "Three Finger" BrownMordecai BrownMordecai Peter Centennial Brown , nicknamed "Three Finger" or "Miner", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher at the turn of the 20th century. Due to a farm-machinery accident in his youth, Brown lost parts of two fingers on his right hand and eventually acquired his nickname as a result...
also carried a no-hitter into the ninth, losing it and the game, 1–0. - On September 5, 1908, the Brooklyn Dodgers' Nap RuckerNap RuckerGeorge Napoleon "Nap" Rucker was a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Superbas/Dodgers/Robins. He was born in Crabapple, Georgia....
blanked the Boston DovesAtlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
with a flawless pitching performance, despite errors that allowed three Doves to reach base. In more than a century since, no otherwise perfect game has been spoiled by multiple errors. - On July 1, 1920, an error by Senators second baseman Bucky HarrisBucky HarrisStanley Raymond "Bucky" Harris was a Major League Baseball player, manager and executive. In 1975, the Veterans Committee elected Harris, as a manager, to the Baseball Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
was the lone defect in what was otherwise a perfect game by Walter JohnsonWalter JohnsonWalter Perry Johnson , nicknamed "Barney" and "The Big Train", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Washington Senators...
. Harry HooperHarry HooperHarry Bartholomew Hooper was a Major League Baseball player in the early 20th century. Hooper batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Hooper was born in Bell Station, California. A graduate in engineering at Saint Mary's College of California, he broke into the majors with the Red Sox in 1909,...
, the Red Sox who reached base, was batting leadoff in the seventh. - On September 3, 1947, with one out in the second, Philadelphia Athletics first baseman Ferris FainFerris FainFerris Roy Fain was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for nine seasons in the American League with the Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians...
, after fielding a routine grounder, threw wildly to pitcher Bill McCahanBill McCahanWilliam Glenn McCahan was an American professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1946 to 1949....
, covering first base. Stan SpenceStan SpenceStanley Orville Spence was a Major League Baseball center fielder who played from through for the Boston Red Sox , Washington Senators and St. Louis Browns . Spence batted and threw left-handed...
of the Senators made it all the way to second, the only blemish on McCahan's otherwise perfect game. - On July 19, 1974, flawless through 3 2/3 innings, Cleveland IndiansCleveland IndiansThe Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
pitcher Dick BosmanDick BosmanRichard Allen Bosman is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He pitched for the Washington Senators , Texas Rangers , Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics . Bosman started the final game for the expansion Senators and the first game for the Texas Rangers...
, handling a grounder off the bat of Oakland Athletic Sal BandoSal BandoSalvatore Leonard Bando is a former third baseman and executive in professional baseball who played for the Kansas City & Oakland Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers . He batted and threw right-handed. During the A's championship years of 1971-75, he captained the team and led the club in runs batted...
, threw over the first baseman's head. Not one other Athletic would reach base, making this the only occasion in major league history when the sole demerit on an otherwise perfect defensive line was the pitcher's own fielding error. - On June 27, 1980, Jerry ReussJerry ReussJerry Reuss -- pronounced "royce" -- is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the United States, who had a 22-year career from to ....
of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched a virtually immaculate game, but without hope of perfection—a first-inning throwing error by shortstop Bill RussellBill Russell (baseball)William Ellis Russell is a former shortstop, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. Russell played his entire 18-year, 2,181-game career with the Los Angeles Dodgers as the starting shortstop for four National League pennant winners and one World Series champion...
allowed the San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
' Jack ClarkJack Clark (baseball)Jack Anthony Clark , also known as "Jack the Ripper," is a former Major League Baseball player. From 1975 through 1992, Clark played for the San Francisco Giants , St. Louis Cardinals , New York Yankees , San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox...
to reach base. Russell atoned for his gaffe with a sharp fielding play in the eighth inning. - On August 15, 1990, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Terry MulhollandTerry MulhollandTerence John Mulholland is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He threw left-handed and batted right-handed.-Early and personal life:...
lost a perfect game in the seventh inning when the Giants' Rick ParkerRick ParkerRichard Alan Parker was a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets and Houston Astros. He played from 1985-1998.-External links:...
, batting leadoff, reached base on a throwing error by third baseman Charlie HayesCharlie HayesCharles Dewayne Hayes is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the San Francisco Giants , Philadelphia Phillies , New York Yankees , Colorado Rockies , Pittsburgh Pirates , Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros...
. Parker was retired when the next batter, Dave Anderson, grounded into a double play. Mulholland pitched flawlessly and faced the minimum 27 batters, but still did not qualify for a perfect game. Hayes redeemed himself for the fielding error by making a spectacular catch on a line drive in the ninth inning, protecting Mulholland's no-hitter. - On July 10, 2009, the Giants' Jonathan SánchezJonathan SanchezJonathan O. Sánchez is a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals....
pitched perfectly against the San Diego Padres through one out in the eighth inning. Third baseman Juan UribeJuan UribeJuan C. Uribe Tena is a Dominican Republic professional baseball infielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball. He began his career in 1997 when he was signed to the Colorado Rockies, and played with the team until December 3, 2003 when he was traded to the Chicago White Sox...
, who switched positions from second base to start the seventh inning, committed an error on a ground ball, his first chance at third, that allowed Chase HeadleyChase HeadleyChase Jordan Headley is a major league baseball player currently playing for the San Diego Padres. He plays third base, and formerly played left field. He is a switch-hitter...
to reach first—the latest an error has resulted in the sole baserunner in an otherwise perfect game. Headley advanced to second on a wild pitch. It was the first complete game of Sánchez's career.
No otherwise perfect game in major league history has ever been spoiled solely by a third-strike passed ball
Passed ball
In baseball, a catcher is charged with a passed ball when he fails to hold or control a legally pitched ball that, with ordinary effort, should have been maintained under his control. When, as a result of this loss of control, the batter or a runner on base advances, the catcher is thereby charged...
, third-strike wild pitch
Wild pitch
In baseball, a wild pitch is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, perhaps even the batter-runner on strike three or ball four, to advance.A wild pitch usually...
, interference
Interference (baseball)
In baseball, interference is an infraction where a person illegally changes the course of play from what is expected. Interference might be committed by players on the offense, players not currently in the game, catchers, umpires, or spectators; each type of interference is covered differently by...
, or an outfield error. More than one online survey incorrectly lists the game pitched by the Los Angeles Dodgers' Bill Singer
Bill Singer
William Robert Singer is a former baseball pitcher with a 14-year career from 1964 to 1977. He played primarily for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the California Angels , spending his final two seasons with the Texas Rangers , Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays .-Los Angeles Dodgers:Singer made...
against the Phillies on July 20, 1970, as perfect aside from two throwing errors by Singer; in fact, he also hit batter Oscar Gamble
Oscar Gamble
Oscar Charles Gamble is a former outfielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball. He played for 17 seasons, from 1969 to 1985, on seven different teams: the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees on two separate occasions, as well as the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland...
in the first inning.
See also
- Nippon Professional Baseball perfect games
- Golden set in tennis
- Maximum break in snooker
- Nine-dart finish in darts
- Perfect game in bowling
Sources
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. The New Bill James Historical Baseball AbstractThe Bill James Historical Baseball AbstractThe Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract is a reference-type book written by Bill James featuring an overview of baseball decade by decade, along with rankings of the top 100 players at each position. The original edition was published in 1985 by Villard Books, followed by The New Bill James...
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External links
- Perfect Games Baseball Almanac links to boxscores of both official and unofficial games
- Pitchers who retired 27 consecutive batters or more over a span of two or more games Baseball ProspectusBaseball ProspectusBaseball Prospectus is an organization that publishes a website, BaseballProspectus.com, devoted to the sabermetric analysis of baseball. BP has a staff of regular columnists and provides advanced statistics as well player and team performance projections on the site...
article by Keith Woolner on "hidden" perfect games (also see the follow-up) - Rare Feats: Perfect Games MLB.com links to historical video and audio extracts