Perfect game
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Since 1991, a perfect game has been defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a complete game victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposition player reaches first base. In short, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batters, or any other baserunners for any reason, even if they are thrown out trying for extra bases. 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 a solid defense to pitch a perfect game. An error which does not allow a baserunner, such as a misplayed foul ball, does not spoil a perfect game.
Several games have not qualified under this revised definition. Some weather-shortened games featured no baserunners by one team, and there have been two games in which a team reached first base only in extra innings.
Over the past 130 years of Major League Baseball history, there have only been 17 perfect games; the two from the 19th century, at a time when the pitching distance was only 45 feet, are often not included in lists. In short, only one in about every 15,000 major league games played sees such an event. That works out to one perfect game approximately every eight years.
Major League Baseball perfect games
19th century
| Pitcher, Age | Date | Game |
|---|---|---|
| John Lee Richmond (Wor), 23, 5 K | June 12, 1880 | |
| Monte Ward (Prov), 20, 5 K | June 17, 1880 |
|
Modern era
| Pitcher, Age | Date | Game |
|---|---|---|
| Cy Young (Bos), 37, 3 K | May 5, 1904 |
|
| Addie Joss (Cle), 28, 74 pitches, 3 K | October 2, 1908 |
|
| Charlie Robertson (Chi), 26, 90 pitches, 6 K | April 30, 1922 |
|
| Don Larsen (NYY), 27, 97 pitches, 7 K | October 8, 1956 |
|
| Jim Bunning (Phi), 32, 90 pitches, 10 K | June 21 , 1964 |
|
| Sandy Koufax (LA), 29, 113 pitches, 14 K | September 9, 1965 |
|
| Catfish Hunter (Oak), 22, 107 pitches, 11 K | May 8, 1968 |
|
| Len Barker (Cle), 25, 103 pitches, 11 K | May 15, 1981 |
|
| Mike Witt (Cal), 24, 94 pitches, 10 K | September 30, 1984 |
|
| Tom Browning (Cin), 28, 102 pitches, 7 K | September 16, 1988 |
|
| Dennis Martinez (Mon), 36, 95 pitches, 5 K | July 28, 1991 |
|
| Kenny Rogers (Tex), 29, 98 pitches, 8 K | July 28, 1994 |
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| David Wells (NYY), 34, 120 pitches, 11 K | May 17, 1998 |
|
| David Cone (NYY), 36, 88 pitches, 10 K | July 18, 1999 |
|
| Randy Johnson (Ari), 40, 117 pitches, 13 K | May 18, 2004 |
|
Near-misses or \"hidden\" perfect games
The official definition of a perfect game requires that a pitcher allow no baserunners over the course of an entire nine inning (or more) game, and that the pitcher pitch a complete game victory. However, there have been a few instances in which a pitcher retired every batter over nine innings (that is, 27 consecutive batters), but did not earn a perfect game, either because the game went into extra innings, or because he did not pitch a complete game victory. The definition is also questionable because of rules in minor league baseball where doubleheaders may be two seven-inning games.
On June 23, 1917, Babe Ruth (Boston Red Sox) walked the first batter in a game against the Washington Senators. Ruth was so enraged with the calls made by umpire Brick Owens that he tried to strike Owens, swore at him, and was ejected. Ernie Shore came in to replace Ruth. The runner on first was caught stealing, and Shore proceeded to retire the next 26 batters. All 27 outs were made while Shore was on the mound. This was once recognized as a perfect game by Major League Baseball. It still counts as a valid combined no-hitter.
On May 26, 1959, Harvey Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates carried a perfect game through an amazing twelve innings against the Milwaukee Braves and Lew Burdette, only to have it ruined by an error in the 13th inning, followed by an intentional walk and a home run, which became a single when Hank Aaron passed Joe Adcock on the bases. Haddix, and the Pirates, lost the game. This is perhaps the most agonizing of all the 'hidden' perfect games; for many years, it was listed as a special mention. The 12 perfect innings remains a record.
On June 3, 1995, Pedro Martinez 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 10th inning, but in the bottom of the 10th, Martinez gave up a leadoff double to Bip Roberts, and was relieved by Mel Rojas, who retired the next three batters. Martinez was therefore the winning pitcher in a 1-0 Expos victory.
Four other "perfect games" are unofficial because the games ended before nine innings were completed. Dean Chance (Minnesota Twins, August 6, 1967) and David Palmer (Expos, April 21, 1984) pitched perfect games through 5 innings and won rainouts, but neither gets credit for a perfect game as they didn't go nine innings. Both Ed Karger of the St. Louis Cardinals (7 innings, August 11) and Rube Vickers of the Philadelphia Athletics (5 innings, October 5) pitched unofficial perfect games in 1907, where each game was called due to darkness. Astonishingly, Vickers' gem came in the second game of a doubleheader on the last day of the season, in which he had pitched the last 12 innings of the 15-inning first game as well.
Perfect games lost to the 27th batter
- Hooks Wiltse (Giants, July 4, 1908) hit Philadelphia Phillie pitcher George McQuillan.
- Tommy Bridges (Tigers, Aug. 5, 1932) gave up a pinch-hit single to Dave Harris in a 13-0 win against the Senators.
- Billy Pierce (White Sox, June 27, 1958) gave up a double, which landed just inches in fair territory, to Washington's Ed Fitzgerald.
- Milt Pappas (Cubs, Sept. 3, 1972) lost a perfect game against San Diego due to a walk on a borderline 3-2 pitch to pinch hitter Larry Stahl. The umpire was a first year man, Bruce Froemming, who would go on to umpire in a record 11 no-hitters. About 25 years later, a Chicago radio personality, during an interview with Pappas, got Froemming on the phone and the two argued on the air.
- Milt Wilcox (Tigers, April 15, 1983) lost a perfect game on a single by Chicago White Sox Jerry Hairston.
- Ron Robinson (Reds, May 2, 1988) gave up a hit to the 27th batter, Wallace Johnson (Expos). Robinson then allowed a two-run homer to Tim Raines and was removed from the game.
- Dave Stieb (Toronto, Aug. 4, 1989) gave up a double to Roberto Kelly of the New York Yankees, followed by an RBI single by Steve Sax.
- Brian Holman (Seattle, April 20, 1990) gave up a home run to Oakland Athletic Ken Phelps.
- Mike Mussina's second perfect game bid (his first was spoiled with one out in the 9th inning on May 30, 1997) was halted when he gave up a two strike pinch hit single to 27th batter Carl Everett in a nationally televised game in Fenway Park on September 2, 2001. When asked after the game if he had been thinking about the chance of a perfect game throughout the course of the game, Mussina coyly replied that of course he had.
Other notable near-perfect games
- Cy Young (again) in 1908 came within a walk of another perfect game in his third no-hitter.
- In his pitching debut, Addie Joss gave up a leadoff hit to Jesse Burkett of the St. Louis Browns. He retired the next twenty-six batters he faced.
- Sandy Koufax walked one batter in his third no-hitter, against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1964.
- On July 23, 1880, pitching against Cincinnati barely a month after his perfect game, Ward allowed a leadoff single and then retired 27 batters in a row.
- In a 2000 spring training game (for which statistics are not kept rigorously, due to the varying levels of competition), the Red Sox used six pitchers to retire all 27 Blue Jays batters in a 5-0 victory.
- On Sept. 24, 1919, Waite Hoyt, pitching for the Red Sox against the Yankees, gave up three singles in a row in the second inning. He then retired the next three batters to get out of the inning, and did not allow another baserunner until Wally Pipp tripled with one out in the 13th inning of a 1-1 game. Hoyt was perfect for 11 1/3 innings, retiring 34 consecutive batters. The next batter hit a sacrifice fly, and Hoyt lost 2-1.
- On Sept. 18, 1971, Rick Wise, pitching for Philadelphia against Chicago, gave up a home run to lead off the Cubs 2nd inning, and did not allow another baserunner until Ron Santo singled with two out in the 12th inning. Wise was perfect for 10 2/3, retiring 32 consecutive batters. He would go on to pitch a 12-inning complete game and win 4-3. The losing pitcher was Milt Pappas, who would have his near-perfect game one year later.
- On August 31, 2005, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Derek Lowe allowed a leadoff single to the Cubs' Jerry Hairston. Lowe then forced Chicago's second batter of the game - Neifi Perez - to ground into a double play. Lowe retired the next 25 batters he faced to pick up a one-hit, 7-0 victory, while facing the minimum 27 batters.
- On July 7, 2006, after giving up a leadoff double to Oakland's Mark Kotsay, Los Angeles Angels pitcher John Lackey retired the next 27 consecutive batters he faced, earning a complete game shutout win, 3-0.
Japan Pro Baseball perfect games
Fiction
The movie For Love of the Game (Universal Pictures, 1999) has the main character, Billy Chapel (Kevin Costner), pitch a perfect game at Yankee Stadium. Late in the movie, one of the commentators, Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully playing himself, referred to his broadcast of the 1956 Larsen perfect game, also at Yankee Stadium. The film was based on a short novel of the same name by author Michael Shaara.In the movie The Scout (20th Century Fox, 1994), the main character, Steve Nebraska (Brendan Fraser) pitches a perfect game in the first game of the World Series, which game also represents his major-league debut. Rather ridiculously, Nebraska strikes out all 27 batters on three pitches, making it an 81-pitch "super-perfect" game.
Notes and Trivia
- Richmond and Ward threw their perfect games in the 19th century, when the rules were fundamentally different than the other games in this list. For example, pitching was underhanded (the hand could not rise above the belt) and was only 45 feet away from home plate, 8 balls were required for a walk, hitters were not awarded first when hit by a pitch, fielders did not use gloves (resulting in many more errors than the modern game) and hitters could direct a high or low ball. These two games' place in this list is widely debated; changes in the rules since Cy Young's perfect game have been of much less significance. It should be noted that perfect games were no easier to achieve in 19th century baseball than they are today. There were only two perfect games recorded during twenty-five seasons of 19th century baseball, as opposed to seven between 1984 and 2004.
- Richmond's perfect game featured an unusual 9-3 putout (the right fielder threw out a runner at first). Additionally, it was reported he pitched the game after staying up all night at a pregraduation party at Brown University, pitching in an early morning game between Brown alumni and Yale alumni before traveling to Worcester in time for the game. Dewey, Donald & Acocella, Nicholas, The Biographical History of Baseball (New York: Carroll & Graf, 1995) (ISBN 1572435674)
- Cy Young's perfect game was part of a hitless innings streak (24 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).
- Robertson's perfect game was his fourth game in the big leagues, and only his third start.
- Don Larsen and David Wells attended the same high school: Point Loma High School, San Diego, California.
- Larsen pitched the first and only post-season perfect game (also the only post-season no-hitter) in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.
- Bunning pitched his perfect game on Father's Day.
- In Koufax's perfect game, the Cubs pitcher, Bob Hendley, gave up only one hit -- a bloop double to left-fielder Lou Johnson in the seventh inning. 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 the Cubs catcher Chris Krug overthrew third base. This is the only game in history where only one player reached base.
- Witt's perfect game came on the last day of the 1984 season.
- The start of Browning's game was delayed 2 1/2 hours by rain.
- Cone's perfect game was held on Yogi Berra Day with the original players 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.
- In the bottom of the third inning, rain delayed Cone's game for 33 minutes.
- The winning run in the games of Richmond, Joss, Koufax, Witt, Browning, and Martinez were unearned.
- No pitcher has ever thrown two MLB perfect games, but catcher Ron Hassey caught two: Barker's and Martinez's. Shortstop Alfredo Griffin played for the losing team in the perfect games of Barker, Browning and Martinez. 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 3 of the Yankees perfect games, albeit on the losing side in the first.
References
- 27 Men Out, Michael Coffey, Atria Books, NY, 2004
- The Perfect Game: A Classic Collection of Facts..., Mark Alvarez, Taylor, 1993
- Perfect!, Ron Meyer, 1991
- Perfect, James Buckley, Jr, 2002
- www.baseball-almanac.com
See also
Other examples of "perfect" performances in professional sports are:- 300 game in bowling
- 147 break in snooker
- Nine dart finish in darts
- Ron Necciai struck out 27 batters in a professional baseball game (although this was not a perfect game)
External links
- [Baseball Fever discussion thread with detailed list of near-perfect games]
- [Baseball Prospectus article on "hidden" perfect games (pitchers who retired 27 consecutive batters or more over a span of two or more games)]
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