What Is a Perfect Game in Baseball?
A perfect game in baseball is a game where not one of the 27 batters on one of the competing teams reaches a base. Typically, perfect games are discussed in terms of the pitcher's performance; that is, the pitcher is the one that throws a perfect game or not. To pitch a perfect game, the pitcher not only must toss a no-hitter, but he also cannot walk or hit a batter, and no hitters can reach first base on an error. In baseball, it is one of the rarest feats that can be accomplished. In fact, only 20 pitchers have thrown perfect games since professional teams began playing in the late 1800s.
The definition of the perfect game as it is known now was only formalized in 1991. Prior to that, games that did not last a full nine innings could count as a perfect game, as could those in which a runner reached a base in extra innings. In today's definition, perfect games are also no-hitters or no-hit games — games where a team throws nine or more innings without allowing a hit. No-hitters, however, are not always perfect games because in a no-hitter, batters may still reach a base through a walk or error.
To throw a perfect game, the pitcher must be in command of his pitches. Baseball history indicates that most perfect game pitchers average roughly 100 pitches, or 3.7 pitches per batter. These numbers indicate that the pitchers aren't necessarily striking out large numbers of batters. Rather, they're spotting the ball where they want it, and making the batter swing at what can be called "the pitcher's pitch." The batter may be forced to swing at a pitch he doesn't necessarily like, and when he does connect with the ball, the result may be a weak grounder or an easy pop fly.
In Game 5 of the 1956 World Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees, Yankees pitcher Don Larsen threw a perfect game. This was the only time in World Series history that a perfect game or no-hitter has been thrown. Larsen, who had pitched poorly earlier in the series, had seven strikeouts that game and the Yankees went on to win the World Series in seven games.
Some might say that a perfect game pitcher not only has to be at his best, but he needs great fieldwork and a bit of luck on his side, as well. In most perfect games, a player on the field generally makes an outstanding play or two to save the perfect game for the pitcher. For instance, in Don Larsen's perfect game in the World Series, Yankee centerfielder Mickey Mantle made a spectacular over the shoulder grab that some baseball historians have dubbed "the catch."
|
||||
Pitcher |
Date |
Team |
Pitches |
Opponent |
| John Lee Richmond | 12 June 1880 | Worcester Worcesters | ? | Cleveland Blues |
| Monte Ward | 17 June 1880 | Providence Grays | ? | Buffalo Bisons |
| Cy Young | 5 May 1904 | Boston Pilgrims | ? | Philadelphia A's |
| Addie Joss | 2 October 1908 | Cleveland Naps | 74 | Chicago White Sox |
| Charlie Robertson | 30 April 1922 | Chicago White Sox | 90 | Detroit Tigers |
| Don Larsen | 8 October 1956 | New York Yankees | 97 | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| Jim Bunning | 21 June 1964 | Philadelphia Phillies | 90 | New York Mets |
| Sandy Koufax | 9 September 1965 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 113 | Chicago Cubs |
| Catfish Hunter | 8 May 1968 | Oakland A's | 107 | Minnesota Twins |
| Len Barker | 15 May 1981 | Cleveland Indians | 103 | Toronto Blue Jays |
| Mike Witt | 30 September 1984 | California Angels | 94 | Texas Rangers |
| Tom Browning | 16 September 1988 | Cincinnati Reds | 102 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Dennis Martinez | 28 July 1991 | Montreal Expos | 95 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Kenny Rogers | 28 July 1994 | Texas Rangers | 98 | California Angels |
| David Wells | 17 May 1998 | New York Yankees | 120 | Minnesota Twins |
| David Cone | 18 July 1999 | New York Yankees | 88 | Montreal Expos |
| Randy Johnson | 18 May 2004 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 117 | Atlanta Braves |
| Mark Buehrle | 23 July 2009 | Chicago White Sox | 116 | Tampa Bay Rays |
| Dallas Braden | 9 May 2010 | Oakland Athletics | 109 | Tampa Bay Rays |
| Roy Halladay | 29 May 2010 | Philadelphia Phillies | 115 | Florida Marlins |
As you can see from these historical records of perfect games, a few interesting statistics become apparent. The 1990s have the most perfect games as far as decades go — four each. The New York Yankees threw the most perfect games throughout history — three. The Minnesota Twins, the Dodgers (once in Brooklyn and once in Los Angeles), and the Tampa Bay Rays are the only teams to have been at the unfortunate end of two perfect games each.
Written by D Frank
