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] (left) of the ] reacting to the completion of his perfect game with catcher ] on ], ].]] ] (left) of the ] reacting to the completion of his perfect game with catcher ] on ], ].]]


A '''perfect game''' is defined by ] as a game in which a ] (or combination of pitchers) pitches a ] that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposition player reaches first base.<ref>http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/about_mlb/rules_regulations.jsp</ref> Thus, the pitcher (or pitchers) cannot allow any ], ], ], or any opposing player to reach base safely for any other reason—in short, "27 up, 27 down". A '''perfect game''' is defined by ] as a game in which a ] (or combination of pitchers) pitches a ] that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposition player reaches first base.<ref>http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/about_mlb/rules_regulations.jsp</ref> Thus, the pitcher (or pitchers) cannot allow any ], ], ], or any opposing player to reach base safely for any other reason—in short, "27 up, 27 down".


By definition, a perfect game must be both a ] and a ]. Since the pitcher cannot control whether or not his teammates commit any ], the pitcher must be backed up by solid ] to pitch a perfect game. An error that does not allow a baserunner, such as a misplayed foul ball, does not spoil a perfect game. Several pitching performances regarded popularly as perfect games do not qualify as official under the present definition, among them weather-shortened games that featured no baserunners by one team and games in which a team reached first base only in ]. The first confirmed recorded use of the term "perfect game" was in 1908; 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 several times at the major league level for a no-hitter), to date each major league perfect game has been a complete game by just a single pitcher. By definition, a perfect game must be both a ] and a ]. Since the pitcher cannot control whether or not his teammates commit any ], the pitcher must be backed up by solid ] to pitch a perfect game. An error that does not allow a baserunner, such as a misplayed foul ball, does not spoil a perfect game. Several pitching performances regarded popularly as perfect games do not qualify as official under the present definition, among them weather-shortened games that featured no baserunners by one team and games in which a team reached first base only in ]. The first confirmed recorded use of the term "perfect game" was in 1908; 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 several times at the major league level for a no-hitter), to date each major league perfect game has been a complete game by just a single pitcher.
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Ward and Young are thus the only two men in baseball history to retire 27 consecutive men in a game on two separate occasions. Ward and Young are thus the only two men in baseball history to retire 27 consecutive men in a game on two separate occasions.


===No-hit, no-walk, no–hit batsman games=== ===No-hit, no-walk, no–hit batter games===
In Major League Baseball play since 1893, there have been eight instances when a pitcher performed his (primary) job to perfection over a complete game of at least nine innings, but was not awarded a perfect game because of fielding errors: In Major League Baseball play since 1893, there have been eight instances when a pitcher performed his (primary) job to perfection over a complete game of at least nine innings, but was not awarded a perfect game because of fielding errors:
*On ], ], Cy Young, pitching for the ] against the Cincinnati Reds in the first game of a doubleheader, threw masterfully. Four men, however, reached first base on errors. One of those, a tough chance for third baseman ], was initially credited as a hit. After the eighth inning‚ Wallace sent a message to the press box saying the play should have been ruled an error. The official scoring of the play was, in fact, adjusted. Young would later say he thought of the game as a one-hitter. *On ], ], Cy Young, pitching for the ] against the Cincinnati Reds in the first game of a doubleheader, threw masterfully. Four men, however, reached first base on errors. One of those, a tough chance for third baseman ], was initially credited as a hit. After the eighth inning‚ Wallace sent a message to the press box saying the play should have been ruled an error. The official scoring of the play was, in fact, adjusted. Young would later say he thought of the game as a one-hitter.
*On ], ], ] of the ] shut down the Cubs, falling short of a perfect game only because of errors by shortstop ] and second baseman ]. In a classic pitching duel, the Cubs' ] also carried a no-hitter into the ninth, losing it and the game, 1-0. *On ], ], ] of the ] shut down the Cubs, falling short of a perfect game only because of errors by shortstop ] and second baseman ]. In a classic pitching duel, the Cubs' ] also carried a no-hitter into the ninth, losing it and the game, 1-0.
], ], ] of the ] achieved a unique feat: he became the only pitcher in major league history to throw a complete game shutout victory, not give up a single hit, walk, or hit batsman, and retire every opposing player he faced...and still not be given credit for a perfect game. (Mark Lennihan/AP)]] ], ], ] of the ] achieved a unique feat: he became the only pitcher in major league history to throw a complete game shutout victory, not give up a single hit, walk, or hit batter, and retire every opposing player he faced...and still not be given credit for a perfect game. (Mark Lennihan/AP)]]
*On ], ], the ]' ] blanked the ] with a flawless pitching performance, despite errors that allowed three Doves to reach base. In almost a century since, no otherwise perfect game has been spoiled by multiple errors. *On ], ], the ]' ] blanked the ] with a flawless pitching performance, despite errors that allowed three Doves to reach base. In almost a century since, no otherwise perfect game has been spoiled by multiple errors.
*On ], ], an error by Senators second baseman ] was the lone defect in what would have been a perfect game by ]. ], the Red Sox who reached base, was batting leadoff in the seventh. *On ], ], an error by Senators second baseman ] was the lone defect in what would have been a perfect game by ]. ], the Red Sox who reached base, was batting leadoff in the seventh.
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*On ], ], ] of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched a virtually immaculate game, but without hope of perfection—a first-inning throwing error by shortstop ] allowed the San Francisco Giants' ] to reach base. *On ], ], ] of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched a virtually immaculate game, but without hope of perfection—a first-inning throwing error by shortstop ] allowed the San Francisco Giants' ] to reach base.
*On ], ], the Giants' Rick Parker, batting leadoff in the seventh, reached base on a throwing error by Phillies third baseman ]. Parker was retired when the next batter, ], grounded into a double play. ] pitched flawlessly ''and'' faced the minimum 27—but, still, no perfect game. *On ], ], the Giants' Rick Parker, batting leadoff in the seventh, reached base on a throwing error by Phillies third baseman ]. Parker was retired when the next batter, ], grounded into a double play. ] pitched flawlessly ''and'' faced the minimum 27—but, still, no perfect game.
Young is thus the only man in baseball history to throw two no-hit, no-walk, no–hit batsman games under modern rules. Young is thus the only man in baseball history to throw two no-hit, no-walk, no–hit batter games under modern rules.
Note that no otherwise perfect game in major league history has ever been spoiled solely due to a third-strike ], third-strike ], or ] (or, for that matter, an outfield error). Note also that more than one online survey erroneously lists the game pitched by the Los Angeles Dodgers' ] against the Phillies on ], ], as perfect aside from two throwing errors by Singer; in fact, he also hit batter ] in the first inning.<ref>Lewis (2002). One of the mistaken websites is , which contains numerous errors.</ref> Note that no otherwise perfect game in major league history has ever been spoiled solely due to a third-strike ], third-strike ], or ] (or, for that matter, an outfield error). Note also that more than one online survey erroneously lists the game pitched by the Los Angeles Dodgers' ] against the Phillies on ], ], as perfect aside from two throwing errors by Singer; in fact, he also hit batter ] in the first inning.<ref>Lewis (2002). One of the mistaken websites is , which contains numerous errors.</ref>


Revision as of 01:29, 20 August 2007

For other uses, see baseball.
File:ConePerfecto.jpg
Pitcher David Cone (left) of the New York Yankees reacting to the completion of his perfect game with catcher Joe Girardi on July 18, 1999.

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 opposition player reaches first base. Thus, the pitcher (or pitchers) cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batters, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any other reason—in short, "27 up, 27 down".

By definition, a perfect game must be 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 baserunner, such as a misplayed foul ball, does not spoil a perfect game. Several pitching performances regarded popularly as perfect games do not qualify as official under the present definition, among them weather-shortened games that featured no baserunners by one team and games in which a team reached first base only in extra innings. The first confirmed recorded use of the term "perfect game" was in 1908; the current official definition of the term was formalized in 1991. Although it is possible for multiple pitchers to combine for a perfect game (as has happened several times at the major league level for a no-hitter), to date each major league perfect game has been a complete game by just a single pitcher.

Over the past 130 years of Major League Baseball history, there have been only 17 official perfect games by the current definition (approximately one every eight years). In sum, a perfect game is thrown once in about every 20,000 major league contests. For comparison, more people have orbited the moon than have pitched a Major League Baseball perfect game.

Major League Baseball perfect games

19th century

Pitcher Date Game
John Lee Richmond (Wor)
   LHP, 23
   5 K		 June 12, 1880
John Montgomery Ward (Prov)
   RHP, 20
   5 K		 June 17, 1880

Modern era

Pitcher Date Game
Cy Young (BOS)
   RHP, 37
   3 K		 May 5, 1904
Addie Joss (CLE)
   RHP, 28
   74 pitches, 3 K		 October 2, 1908
Charlie Robertson (CHW)
   RHP, 26
   90 pitches, 6 K		 April 30, 1922
Don Larsen (NYY)
   RHP, 27
   97 pitches, 7 K		 October 8, 1956
Jim Bunning (PHI)
   RHP, 32
   90 pitches, 10 K		 June 21, 1964
Sandy Koufax (LAD)
   LHP, 29
   113 pitches, 14 K		 September 9, 1965
Catfish Hunter (OAK)
   RHP, 22
   107 pitches, 11 K		 May 8, 1968
Len Barker (CLE)
   RHP, 25
   103 pitches, 11 K		 May 15, 1981
Mike Witt (CAL)
   RHP, 24
   94 pitches, 10 K		 September 30, 1984
Tom Browning (CIN)
   LHP, 28
   102 pitches, 7 K		 September 16, 1988
Dennis Martínez (MON)
   RHP, 36
   95 pitches, 5 K		 July 28, 1991
Kenny Rogers (TEX)
   LHP, 29
   98 pitches, 8 K		 July 28, 1994
David Wells (NYY)
   LHP, 34
   120 pitches, 11 K		 May 17, 1998
David Cone (NYY)
   RHP, 36
   88 pitches, 10 K		 July 18, 1999
Randy Johnson (ARI)
   LHP, 40
   117 pitches, 13 K		 May 18, 2004

Game notes

Individual notes

  • Richmond's perfect game featured an unusual 9-3 putout, with Worcester right fielder Lon Knight throwing out Cleveland's Bill Phillips at first. According to some accounts, Richmond hurled his historic perfecto after staying up all night following a pregraduation dinner at Brown University, pitching in an early morning class game, and taking a train to Worcester just in time to perform his professional duties.
  • Ward threw his perfect game at the Grays' park in Providence, but Buffalo, by virtue of a coin toss, was officially the "home" team, batting in the bottom of each inning.
  • Young's perfect game was part of a hitless innings streak (24 1/3 straight innings without a hit, which is still a record) and a scoreless innings streak (45 straight innings without a run, which was then a record).
  • 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 Walsh, 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.
  • 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. 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 OBP of .369.
  • Larsen, working in an unusual style, without a windup, pitched the first and only post-season perfect game (also the only post-season no-hitter) in game 5 of the 1956 World Series. The Dodgers had the highest season winning percentage of any team ever to surrender a perfect game: .604.
  • In Koufax's perfect game, Cubs pitcher Bob Hendley 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 runner did not advance past second base. The Dodgers scored their only run in the fifth inning: Lou Johnson reached first on a walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, attempted a steal of third, and scored when Cubs catcher Chris Krug overthrew third base. The combined hit total for both teams—1—is the major league record for the fewest in a perfect game.
  • Hunter, a talented batter, was also the hitting star of his perfect game. He went 3 for 4 with a double and 3 RBIs, 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 hurler.
  • Witt's perfect game came on the last day of the 1984 season.
  • Browning's perfect game came against the team that eventually won that year's World Series, the only time that has happened.
  • Martínez, born in Granada, Nicaragua, is the only major league pitcher born outside of the United States to throw a perfect game. 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 10th, meaning the Expos narrowly missed throwing a no-hitter and a perfect game in the same series.
  • Wells attended the same high school as Larsen: Point Loma High School, San Diego, California. 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, running from May 12, 1998, to May 23, 1998, of 38 consecutive retired batters, an American League record he held until 2007.
  • Cone's perfect game was held on Yogi Berra Day with the original battery of the 1956 World Series perfect game in attendance. Don Larsen, the pitcher of the 1956 game, threw out the first pitch to Berra, who had been his catcher during the series.
  • 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 17 teams to have a perfecto thrown against them, the 2004 Braves had the second-highest OBP (.343) and 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.

General notes

  • In at least two perfect games — Barker's and Cone's — no player on the losing team worked even a three-ball count. In Larsen's game, just one Dodgers batter (Pee Wee Reese, in the first inning) worked a three-ball count.
  • Aside from Hunter, only two perfect-game pitchers had RBIs: Bunning (2) and Young (1). None but Hunter had more than one hit: Bunning had a double; Richmond, Ward, and Martínez had singles. No pitcher has ever scored a run during his perfect game. Barker, Witt, Rogers, Wells, and Cone 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).
  • In the games of Richmond, Joss, Koufax, Witt, and Browning the solitary, winning run was unearned. Both runs scored by the Expos in Martínez's game were unearned.
  • No first-year player has ever pitched a perfect game. Richmond and Robertson were classified as rookies, but were second-year players; each had made a single appearance in a previous season.
  • Two of the three most recent perfect-game pitchers—Wells and Johnson—were traded at the end of the seasons in which they accomplished the feat.
  • No pitcher has ever thrown two MLB perfect games, but catcher Ron Hassey caught two: Barker's and Martínez's. Shortstop Alfredo Griffin played for the losing team in the perfect games of Barker, Browning, and Martínez. Right fielder Paul O'Neill played for the winning team in the perfect games of Browning, Wells, and Cone. Don Zimmer was in uniform for all three of the Yankees' perfect games, albeit on the losing side in the first.
  • The shortest period between modern-day perfect games was 1 year, 2 months, 1 day, between the perfect games by Wells and Cone. They also represent the only time two successive perfect games have been thrown by the same team, the New York Yankees.
  • The longest period between perfect games was 34 years, 5 months, 8 days, between the perfect games by Robertson and Larsen. The longest between two regular-season perfect games was 42 years, 1 month, 21 days, between Robertson and Bunning.

Origin of term

The earliest recorded usage of the term "perfect game" identified to date is from 1908, in I. E. Sanborn's report for the Chicago Tribune about Joss's performance against the White Sox: "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 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 Baseball Cyclopedia reference came in a supplement to the 1922 edition of the book (a publication of Baseball Magazine) and was worded thus: "Charles Robertson of Chicago Americans pitched an absolutely perfect no-hit game against Detroit on April 30, 1922, no one reaching first." The publication listed all the perfect games to that point (a total of five, including Robertson's) and used the term "perfect game" matter-of-factly, possibly indicating the term was already familiar to the readership. Lanigan's work references a 1914 book called Balldom as a source for his list of perfect games, although Balldom does not use the term "perfect game", merely characterizing the games as "no batter reached first base." Lanigan was familiar with Sanborn's baseball articles, making various references to him elsewhere in the Cyclopedia, although there is nothing indicating that Sanborn necessarily inspired Lanigan's use of the term.

Questions of definition

Richmond and Ward threw their perfect games early in the history of major league play, when the rules were notably different from those applying to the other games in this list. Some of those rule differences favored the batter, and some favored the pitcher. In 1880, when both pre-modern perfect games were thrown, pitches were thrown underhand (the pitcher's hand could not rise above his belt); there was no pitching mound (the pitcher threw from flat ground); few fielders used gloves (resulting in many more errors than in the modern game); and batters could call for a high or low pitch. However, the front line of the rectangular "pitcher's box" was 45 feet from home plate (a release point about 8 feet closer than today); eight balls were required for a walk; and hitters were not awarded first when hit by a pitch. These two games' place in this list is widely debated; with one exception, changes in the rules since Cy Young's perfect game have been of much less significance. That exception, the use of the designated hitter in American League games since the 1973 season, might have been expected to make perfect games more difficult to achieve in the AL. In fact, since 1973, five perfect games have been thrown with the DH rule in effect (including one interleague game held at an American League park) and only three without it.

The current official MLB 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". The previous MLB definition of a perfect game had not made allowance for extra-inning flaws, so the game described below in which Harvey Haddix threw 12 perfect innings before allowing a baserunner in the 13th was never officially "perfect". The 1991 redefinition did remove the credit he had once received for throwing a no-hitter in the game.

Unofficial perfect games

The current official Major League Baseball definition of a perfect game requires that a pitcher allow no baserunners over the course of an entire game lasting at least nine innings, and that the pitcher pitch a complete game victory. There have been three instances in which a 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 he did not pitch a complete game victory, or because the game went into extra innings and an opposing player eventually reached base:

File:PedroNearPerfecto.gif
Pedro Martínez of the Montreal Expos pitching on June 3, 1995, in his unofficial perfect game. (Mike Poche/AP)
  • On June 23, 1917, Babe Ruth, then a pitcher with the Boston Red Sox, walked the Washington Senators' first batter, Ray Morgan, on four straight pitches. Ruth, who had already been shouting at umpire Brick Owens 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 Shore came in to replace Ruth. Morgan was caught stealing by Sox catcher Chester Thomas 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 Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates carried a perfect game through an amazing 12 innings against the Milwaukee Braves, only to have it ruined when an error by third baseman Don Hoak allowed Felix Mantilla, the leadoff batter in the bottom of the 13th inning, to reach base. A sacrifice by Eddie Matthews and an intentional walk to Hank Aaron followed; the next batter, Joe Adcock, hit a home run that became a double when he passed Aaron on the bases. Haddix, and the Pirates, had lost the game. This is seen as one of the most agonizing of all baseball defeats, especially as the Pirates had 9 hits in the game but could not bring a run home. The 12 perfect innings—36 consecutive batters retired in a single game—remains a record. As a consolation, Pirates' management and the National League awarded Haddix a set of silver service with 12 goblets, each cup inscribed with a description of one of the innings (Sporting News Baseball Guide, 1960, pp.112-113).
  • On June 3, 1995, Pedro Martínez of the Montreal Expos had a perfect game through nine innings against the San Diego Padres. The Expos scored a run in the top of the tenth inning, but in the bottom, Martínez gave up a leadoff double to Bip Roberts, and was relieved by Mel Rojas, who retired the next three batters. Martínez was therefore the winning pitcher in a 1-0 Expos victory.

Four other "perfect games" are unofficial because the games were called off before nine innings were played:

  • On August 11, 1907, Ed Karger of the St. Louis Cardinals pitched seven perfect innings against the Boston Braves; second game of doubleheader called by prior agreement.
  • On October 5, 1907, Rube Vickers of the Philadelphia Athletics 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. Remarkably, 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 Chance of the Minnesota Twins pitched five perfect innings against the Red Sox; game called on account of rain.
  • On April 21, 1984, David Palmer 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 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, who lost a perfect game in extra innings in 1995 (see above).

Perfect games lost to the 27th batter

On at least nine 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:

Other notable near-perfect games

Nine or more consecutive innings of perfection

There have been eleven occasions in Major League Baseball history when a pitcher, after allowing one or more runners to reach base, recorded at least 27 consecutive outs. In two cases, the game went into extra innings, and the pitcher recorded more than 27 consecutive outs:

  • On September 24, 1919, Waite Hoyt, pitching for the Red Sox against the Yankees, gave up three singles in a row in the second inning. Hoyt retired the next three batters and did not allow another baserunner until Wally Pipp tripled with one out in the 13th inning of a 1-1 game. The next batter hit a sacrifice fly, and Hoyt lost 2-1. Hoyt had been perfect for 11 1/3 innings, retiring 34 consecutive batters.
  • On September 18, 1971, Rick Wise, pitching for the Phillies against the Cubs, gave up a home run to the leadoff batter in the second inning. He did not allow another baserunner until Ron Santo 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 an RBI. The losing pitcher was Milt Pappas, who would have his near-perfect game one year later.

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:

  • On June 30, 1908, Red Sox pitcher Cy Young walked the Yankees' leadoff batter, Harry Niles, 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.

The remaining nine instances in which a pitcher retired 27 consecutive players in a game, noting how the opponent's leadoff batter (or batters) reached base:

Ward and Young are thus the only two men in baseball history to retire 27 consecutive men in a game on two separate occasions.

No-hit, no-walk, no–hit batter games

In Major League Baseball play since 1893, there have been eight instances when a pitcher performed his (primary) job to perfection over a complete game of at least nine innings, but was not awarded a perfect game because of fielding errors:

  • On September 18, 1897, Cy Young, pitching for the Cleveland Spiders against the Cincinnati Reds in the first game of a doubleheader, threw masterfully. Four men, however, reached first base on errors. One of those, a tough chance for third baseman Bobby Wallace, was initially credited as a hit. After the eighth inning‚ Wallace sent a message to the press box saying the play should have been ruled an error. The official scoring of the play was, in fact, adjusted. Young would later say he thought of the game as a one-hitter.
  • On June 13, 1905, Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants shut down the Cubs, falling short of a perfect game only because of errors by shortstop Bill Dahlen and second baseman Billy Gilbert. In a classic pitching duel, the Cubs' Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown also carried a no-hitter into the ninth, losing it and the game, 1-0.
File:MulhollandPhillies.jpg
On August 15, 1990, Terry Mulholland of the Philadelphia Phillies achieved a unique feat: he became the only pitcher in major league history to throw a complete game shutout victory, not give up a single hit, walk, or hit batter, and retire every opposing player he faced...and still not be given credit for a perfect game. (Mark Lennihan/AP)
  • On September 5, 1908, the Brooklyn Dodgers' Nap Rucker blanked the Boston Doves with a flawless pitching performance, despite errors that allowed three Doves to reach base. In almost a century since, no otherwise perfect game has been spoiled by multiple errors.
  • On July 1, 1920, an error by Senators second baseman Bucky Harris was the lone defect in what would have been a perfect game by Walter Johnson. Harry Hooper, 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 Fain, after fielding a routine grounder, threw wildly to pitcher Bill McCahan, covering first base. Stan Spence 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, Cleveland Indians pitcher Dick Bosman failed to handle a slow roller hit by Sal Bando. Not one other Oakland 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 Reuss of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched a virtually immaculate game, but without hope of perfection—a first-inning throwing error by shortstop Bill Russell allowed the San Francisco Giants' Jack Clark to reach base.
  • On August 15, 1990, the Giants' Rick Parker, batting leadoff in the seventh, reached base on a throwing error by Phillies third baseman Charlie Hayes. Parker was retired when the next batter, Dave Anderson, grounded into a double play. Terry Mulholland pitched flawlessly and faced the minimum 27—but, still, no perfect game.

Young is thus the only man in baseball history to throw two no-hit, no-walk, no–hit batter games under modern rules. Note that no otherwise perfect game in major league history has ever been spoiled solely due to a third-strike passed ball, third-strike wild pitch, or interference (or, for that matter, an outfield error). Note also that more than one online survey erroneously 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.

Fiction

  • In The Scout (20th Century-Fox, 1994), protagonist Steve Nebraska (Brendan Fraser) throws a perfect game for the Yankees in the first contest of the World Series, which is also his major-league debut. Nebraska—wearing uniform number 18, Don Larsen's number—strikes out all 27 batters on three pitches each, making it an 81-pitch "super-perfect" game.

Notes

  1. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/about_mlb/rules_regulations.jsp
  2. Holtzman (2003), writing in June 2003, before Johnson's perfect game, references Buckley (2002) and estimates that " perfecto surfaces once in approximately 22,000 games or .00005 percent."
  3. http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=461&pid=11193
  4. Okrent and Wulf (1989), pp. 14–15. The BaseballLibrary.com entry on Richmond claims that a similar sequence of events preceded not his perfect game, but a game he pitched against the Chicago White Stockings on June 16.
  5. Anderson (2000), pp. 185–186. BaseballLibrary.com claims it was a passed ball.
  6. See Coffey (2004), p. 43, for an analysis of Detroit's relatively desultory hitting at the point in the season when the game was played.
  7. "Wells Claims '25 to 40 Percent' of Players Use Steroids", Associated Press, February 27, 2003.
  8. Deutsch et al. (1975), p. 68. This source also includes an 1880 clipping from the New York Herald describing John Richmond's perfect game for Worcester as "the most wonderful game on record." A double error by Cleveland resulted in the lone run scoring, and the writer described it as "the only lapse from perfect play made by the Clevelands during the game"; the use of the word "perfect" in this context clearly had a different meaning than its modern baseball sense, as Cleveland's pitcher also surrendered three hits and a walk. See Deutsch et al. (1975), p. 14. Writeups for the Ward perfect game of 1880 and the Young game of 1904 describe the games as "wonderful" and other effusive terms, but do not use the term "perfect game".
  9. Buckley (2002), p. 16, citing Paul Dickson, The Dickson Baseball Dictionary (1989); Coffey (2004), p. 50.
  10. Ralph (2004).
  11. Play-by-play available online.
  12. Note that Coffey (2004) gives incorrect years for the near-perfect games of Wiltse, Stieb, Holman, and Mussina (p. 279).
  13. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_noh1.shtml
  14. http://www.psacard.com/articles/article_view.chtml?artid=3819&universeid=314
  15. Lewis (2002). One of the mistaken websites is HickokSports.com, which contains numerous errors.

Sources

Published

  • Alvarez, Mark, ed. (1993). The Perfect Game: A Classic Collection of Facts, Figures, Stories and Characters from the Society for American Baseball Research (Taylor). ISBN 0-87833-815-2
  • Anderson, David W. (2000). More Than Merkle: A History of the Best and Most Exciting Baseball Season in Human History (Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press). ISBN 0-8032-1056-6
  • Buckley, Jr., James (2002). Perfect: The Inside Story of Baseball's Seventeen Perfect Games (Triumph Books). ISBN 1-57243-454-6
  • Coffey, Michael (2004). 27 Men Out: Baseball's Perfect Games (New York: Atria Books). ISBN 0-7434-4606-2
  • Deutsch, Jordan A. et al. (1975). The Scrapbook History of Baseball (New York: Bobbs-Merrill). ISBN 0-672-52028-1
  • Dewey, Donald, and Nicholas Acocella (1995). The Biographical History of Baseball (New York: Carroll & Graf). ISBN 1-57243-567-4
  • Holtzman, Jerome (2003). "Pitching Perfection Is in the Eye of the Beholder," Baseball Digest (June; available online).
  • Lewis, Allen (2002). "Tainted No-hitters," Baseball Digest (February; available online).
  • Okrent, Daniel, and Steve Wulf (1989). Baseball Anecdotes (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press). ISBN 0-19-504396-0

Online

See also

Nippon Professional Baseball perfect games

External links

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