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"I mean, I can’t even put it into words. I’m just so happy. There are so many good things happening right now. This just adds to the list."

Philip Humber of the Chicago White Sox pitched a perfect game against the Seattle Mariners by retiring all 27 batters he faced on Saturday, April 21, 2012. This event took place on the road in Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington in front of a crowd of 22,472 people. The White Sox' catcher was A. J. Pierzynski. The game had a duration of 2:17. The home plate umpire was Brian Runge, the first base umpire was Marvin Hudson, the second base umpire was Tim McClelland, and the third base umpire was Ted Barrett.

It was the 21st perfect game in MLB history, the first since Roy Halladay's perfect game on May 29, 2010. It was the third perfect game in White Sox history (tied with Yankees for most perfect games) after Charlie Robertson's (who threw the only other perfect game in April in MLB history) on April 30, 1922 and Mark Buehrle's on July 23, 2009, and the 18th no-hitter in White Sox history (tied with Red Sox for second most no-hitters). It was Humber's second start of the 2012 season and first career complete game. The Mariners went hitless for the third time in franchise history and this was the first time that no Mariner reached base.

Background

Humber was named 2001 Texas High School Class 4A Player of the Year. Ironically his mound opponent, Blake Beavan, was a 2007 Texas high school player of the year. Beavan threw a quality start for Seattle.

Although the 2012 Chicago White Sox' rotation was said to be made up of five number three starters, Humber was the number five starter. This was Humber's second start of the season. His first scheduled start was skipped when inclement weather caused the postponement of April 10's contest against the Cleveland Indians. Humber stayed on his pitching schedule by throwing on the side. In Humber's only previous start of the season on April 16 against the Baltimore Orioles, he threw 115 pitches, but lasted just five and one-third innings. He surrendered 1 run on six hits and three walks, while striking out seven.

He is the seventh former member of the New York Mets to go on to throw a no-hitter for another team. The Mets have never had a no-hitter thrown in their history. The other six are Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Mike Scott, Dwight Gooden, Hideo Nomo and David Cone.

The game

"“I don’t know what Philip Humber is doing in this list. No idea what my name is doing there, but I’m thankful it’s there."

The game was broadcast regionally on Fox (with Mariners' broadcasters Dave Sims and Eric Karros on the call), but like the last perfect game, that of Roy Halladay, it had bad timing; it came at the same time as a game between the rivals New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, which meant the perfect game was broadcast only in the Chicago and Seattle markets, while the rest of the country followed the game at Fenway Park. Games between the Yankees and Red Sox generate a great deal of interest and get extensive media coverage, including being broadcast on national television. During the Yankees–Red Sox broadcast, Fox cut away from the game, which was already in the seventh inning, to show the final three outs of Humber's perfect game.

The final out by Humber was recorded on a check-swing strikeout of Brendan Ryan. The ball went past catcher Pierzynski, but Ryan was unsure whether he had checked his swing or not (which would have made the pitch a ball, and given him a walk), and stayed at home plate long enough for Pierzynski to pick up the ball and throw it to first to end the game. Humber finished the game with nine strikeouts. The other batters were retired with five groundouts and 13 flyouts. The closest thing to a hit was Dustin Ackley fourth inning line drive over the head of right fielder Alex Rios, which resulted in a warning track leaping catch. Humber threw only 96 pitches, making this the first perfect game thrown in under 100 pitches since David Cone's perfect game on July 18, 1999. Humber only started 29 Major League games prior to throwing his perfect game, making him the pitcher with the second fewest starts prior to throwing a perfect game, behind fellow White Sox pitcher Charlie Robertson.

Media reception

Humber was named American League Player of the Week for the week ending April 22. Humber went 1–0 with a 0.63 ERA in 14+1⁄3 innings while striking out 16 over two starts that week, including the perfect game. He received a congratulatory phone call from President Barack Obama, a noted White Sox fan. Humber made an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, where he read the Top Ten List. Humber's perfect game will be memorialized at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Previous no-hitter experience

Humber had flirted with a no hitter for the Chicago White Sox on April 25, 2011. In the sixth start of his career, he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, but with one out Alex Rodriguez singled up the middle. He finished with 7 scoreless innings. Also in 2011, he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals on June 26, but ended up earning a 2–1 loss when he surrendered a seventh inning home run to Danny Espinosa. In that contest, Jerry Hairston, Jr. broke up the no-hitter leading off the sixth after Roger Bernadina earned a hit by pitch to break up the perfect game in the fourth. On August 22, 2007, he pitched eight and one-third no-hit innings for the AAA New Orleans Zephyrs of the Pacific Coast League against the Iowa Cubs. Jason Simokitis got a one-out pinch hit and Humber ended up with a no decision. He had also flirted with a no-hitter in college. On April 6, 2002, for the Rice Owls baseball team he held a no-hitter going into the eighth inning against San Jose State. In that contest, he surrendered a pinch hit single in the eighth, but did not allow any runs until a ninth-inning home run.

Statistics

Chicago White Sox 4, Seattle Mariners 0, April 21, 2012

Linescore

Box score

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References

Bibliography

• Gameday - MLB.com

Inline citations

1. ^ Powers, Scott (April, 21, 2012). "Phil Humber throws perfect game". ESPNChicago.com. Retrieved April 21, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
2. "White Sox vs. Mariners Saturday, April 21, 2012:box score". MLB.com. 2012-04-21. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
3. ^ Associated Press (April 21, 2012). "Philip Humber throws 21st perfect game in MLB history". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
4. Doug Miller (April 21, 2012). "Mariners dealt perfect hand they didn't want". MLB.com. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
5. ^ "Humber's game works perfectly: Unheralded pitcher overwhelms Mariners for rare gem". Temple Daily Telegram. Associated Press. April 22, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
6. ^ Larue, Larry (2012-04-22). "White Sox pitcher Philip Humber throws 21st perfect game in history to stifle M's, 4-0 27 UP, 27 DOWN: White Sox pitcher Philip Humber throws 21st perfect game in history to stifle M's, 4-0". The Olympian. Retrieved 2012-04-25. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |title= at position 87 (help)
7. Van Schouwen, Daryl (2012-03-20). "Expect a good start from White Sox' rotation". Chicago Sun-Times. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdat= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
8. Van Schouwen, Daryl (2012-03-29). "Spring-training recap: White Sox 3, Dodgers 1". Chicago Sun-Times. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdat= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
9. Gonzales, Mark (2012-04-10). "Ventura planned shakeup: Weather also postpones lineup changes". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
10. Ginnetti, Toni (2012-04-15). "White Sox' Philip Humber set for second attempt at first start". Chicago Sun-Times. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdat= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
11. Gonzales, Mark (2012-04-16). "Sox can't hold 3-run lead, Orioles storm back in 6-run 10th". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
12. "Orioles 10 (6-4, 3-1 away); White Sox 4 (5-4, 2-2 home)". ESPN. 2012-04-16. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
13. Dybas, Todd (April 21, 2012). "White Sox's Humber tosses perfect game". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
14. "No Hitter". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
15. Kepner, Tyler (April 22, 2012). "In the 21st Perfect Game, Another Sigh for the Mets‎". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
16. "Bitter Rivals Face-Off at Fenway For 100th Anniversary Weekend Yankees vs. Red Sox Saturday at 3:30 PM ET" (PDF). FoxSports.com. April 19, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
17. Wallace, Tim (July 10, 2011). "Two nations, over the air: Portrait of a rivalry in radio waves". The Boston Globe. p. K12. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
18. Ortiz, Jorge L. (May 7, 2010). "Yankees vs. Red Sox: Long-running drama". USA Today. p. 1C.
19. Dougherty, Pete (April 21, 2012). "Hey, Fox, your coverage was far from perfect". TimesUnion.com. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
20. "White Sox' Philip Humber, At Last, Reaches The Top With Perfect Game". Baseball Nation. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
21. "Philip Humber of the Chicago White Sox named American League Player of the Week". MLB.com. Major League Baseball Advanced Media. April 23, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
22. Gonzales, Mark. "Humber enjoying his 15 minutes of fame: White Sox right-hander gets phone call from Obama". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
23. "Humber wins AL Player of the Week, will go on Letterman". CSN Chicago. April 23, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
24. Krueger, John (2012-04-24). "Humber's 'perfect' for Hall of Fame". The Panola Watchman. Longview News-Journal. Retrieved 2012-04-25. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
25. McCarron, Anthony (2011-04-26). "Phil Humber, a former draft pick of both Yankees and Mets, arrives in New York with gem vs. Bombers". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
26. "Nats send off interim manager John McLaren with series win over White Sox". ESPN. June 26, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
27. "Mets Recall Pelfrey, Humber". KETV. 2007-09-01. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
28. "Zephyrs History". MiLB.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
29. "Roundup: Humber, Rice top San Jose St. 8-2". Houston Chronicle. 2002-04-07. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
30. "Boxscore: Chicago White Sox vs. Seattle". MLB.com. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
31. "April 21, 2012 Chicago White Sox at Seattle Mariners Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 21, 2012.

• 2012 Major League Baseball season
• Chicago White Sox
• MLB perfect games