Perfect game
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A perfect game is a complete game pitched without a runner reaching base either by hit, base-on-balls, or error. It is one of the rarest feats in baseball and a subset of no-hitters.
The first major league perfect game was thrown in 1880 by Lee Richmond. Only five days later, John Ward threw the second one. It was nearly a quarter of a century before a third one occurred, even though there were two or even three leagues for part of that time.
In Major League Baseball history twenty-four pitchers have thrown perfect games, including one in the World Series. In addition, two pitchers (Harvey Haddix and Pedro Martinez) have thrown nine perfect innings, only to have their perfect game broken up in extra innings. Four pitchers have been perfect through less than nine innings before their games were called.
A perfect game has been thrown sixteen times in Nippon Professional Baseball history, one in the postseason. There have been nine perfect games in the Mexican League, including one utilizing three pitchers, one in the postseason and several 7-inning affairs. There has been one perfect game in the Cuban Serie Nacional.
No major league player has ever thrown two perfect games, although Jean Faut of the AAGPBL accomplished the feat with perfect games in 1951 and 1953.
The most recent perfect game in Major League Baseball was pitched by Domingo German of the New York Yankees against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, CA on June 28, 2023. This was the first perfect game since 2012, when there had been three.
Ron Hassey is the only catcher to be behind the plate for two perfect games: Len Barker in 1981 and Dennis Martinez in 1991.
Perfect Games[edit]
Major League Baseball[edit]
| Pitcher(s) | Date | Team | Opponent | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Richmond | June 12, 1880 | Worcester Ruby Legs | Cleveland Blues | 4 - 0 | First perfect game in Major League history |
| Monte Ward | June 17, 1880 | Providence Grays | Buffalo Bisons | 5 - 0 | |
| Cy Young | May 5, 1904 | Boston Pilgrims | Philadelphia Athletics | 3 - 0 | |
| Addie Joss | October 2, 1908 | Cleveland Naps | Chicago White Sox | 1 - 0 | |
| Charlie Robertson | April 30, 1922 | Chicago White Sox | Detroit Tigers | 2 - 0 | Robertson's third start of his Major League career |
| Don Larsen | October 8, 1956 | New York Yankees | Brooklyn Dodgers | 2 - 0 | Game Five of the 1956 World Series |
| Jim Bunning | June 21, 1964 (first game) | Philadelphia Phillies | New York Mets | 6 - 0 | First perfect game in NL in 20th century |
| Sandy Koufax | September 9, 1965 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Chicago Cubs | 1 - 0 | Cubs' pitcher Bob Hendley pitches one-hitter in loss to Koufax; Koufax strikes out 14 batters |
| Catfish Hunter | May 8, 1968 | Oakland Athletics | Minnesota Twins | 4 - 0 | Hunter drives in three runs with three hits |
| Len Barker | May 15, 1981 | Cleveland Indians | Toronto Blue Jays | 3 - 0 | First perfect game to have designated hitters in teams' lineups |
| Mike Witt | September 30, 1984 | California Angels | Texas Rangers | 1 - 0 | Pitched on final day of 1984 regular season |
| Tom Browning | September 16, 1988 | Cincinnati Reds | Los Angeles Dodgers | 1 - 0 | First perfect game against eventual World Series champion |
| Dennis Martinez | July 28, 1991 | Montreal Expos | Los Angeles Dodgers | 2 - 0 | Martinez is first non-USA-born pitcher to pitch perfect game. Dodger Stadium become first ballpark to host two perfect games. |
| Kenny Rogers | July 28, 1994 | Texas Rangers | California Angels | 4 - 0 | Rangers and Angels become first pair of Major League teams to have perfect games pitched for them against each other |
| David Wells | May 17, 1998 | New York Yankees | Minnesota Twins | 4 - 0 | |
| David Cone | July 18, 1999 | New York Yankees | Montreal Expos | 6 - 0 | First perfect game in regular season interleague play |
| Randy Johnson | May 18, 2004 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Atlanta Braves | 2 - 0 | 40-year-old Johnson becomes oldest pitcher to pitch perfect game |
| Mark Buehrle | July 23, 2009 | Chicago White Sox | Tampa Bay Rays | 5 - 0 | Sox outfielder Dewayne Wise makes catch reaching over the wall in 9th inning to save Buehrle's gem |
| Dallas Braden | May 9, 2010 | Oakland Athletics | Tampa Bay Rays | 4 - 0 | |
| Roy Halladay | May 29, 2010 | Philadelphia Phillies | Florida Marlins | 1 - 0 | Halladay joins Braden as the first pair to pitch perfect games in the same season since Richmond and Ward 130 years earlier |
| Philip Humber | April 21, 2012 | Chicago White Sox | Seattle Mariners | 4 - 0 | |
| Matt Cain | June 13, 2012 | San Francisco Giants | Houston Astros | 10 - 0 | Ties Koufax for most strikeouts in a perfect game with 14; second time in three years that two perfect games are thrown in the same season. |
| Felix Hernandez | August 15, 2012 | Seattle Mariners | Tampa Bay Rays | 1 - 0 | First time that three perfect games are thrown in the same season; first time that two perfect games are pitched in the same stadium in the same year. |
| Domingo Germán | June 28, 2023 | New York Yankees | Oakland Athletics | 11 - 0 |
Minor League Baseball[edit]
see Minor League Perfect Games
Nippon Professional Baseball[edit]
- In Makihara's game the Giants committed an error without allowing the batter to reach -- a dropped foul fly ball.
Mexican League[edit]
| Pitcher(s) | Date | Team | Opponent | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ramiro Cuevas | August 14, 1953 | Nuevo Laredo Owls | Mexico City Red Devils | 1 - 0 | |
| Francisco Maytorena Hector Manuel Diaz Nicolas Garcia |
March 24, 1971 | Mexico City Tigers | Veracruz Eagle | 3 - 0 | 7 Innings |
| Andrés Ayón | June 30, 1972 | Saltillo Saraperos | Monterrey Sultans | 9 - 0 | 7 Innings |
| Diego Segui | June 21, 1978 | Cordoba Coffee Growers | Nuevo Laredo Owls | 5 - 0 | 7 Innings |
| Horacio Pina | July 12, 1978 | Aguascalientes Railroadmen | Mexico City Red Devils | 3 - 0 | |
| Jairo Valenzuela | June 10, 1984 | Saltillo Saraperos | Cordoba Coffee Growers | 5 - 0 | 7 Innings |
| Herminio Dominguez | April 14, 1985 | Campeche Pirates | Cordoba Coffee Growers | 1 - 0 | 7 Innings |
| Don Heinkel | June 2, 1992 | Campeche Pirates | Mexico City Red Devils | 7 - 0 | 7 Innings |
| Oscar Rivera | August 7, 2005 | Yucatan Lions | Oaxaca Warriors | 1 - 0 | Postseason |
Mexican Pacific League[edit]
| Pitcher(s) | Date | Team | Opponent | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vicente Romo | 1971 | ||||
| Jesus Moreno | 1989 | ||||
| Joakim Soria | 2006 | Obregon Yaquis | Hermosillo Naranjeros | 6-0 |
AAGPBL[edit]
Cuban National League[edit]
| Pitcher(s) | Date | Serie | Team | Opponent | Site | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maels Rodríguez | December 22, 1999 | XXXIX (Nac) | Sancti Spiritus | Las Tunas | Estadio José Antonio Huelga | 1 - 0 |
Chinese Professional Baseball League[edit]
| Pitcher(s) | Date | Team | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Verdugo | October 7, 2018 | Uni-President Lions | Chinatrust Brothers | 1 - 0 |
Hoofdklasse Honkbal[edit]
| Pitcher(s) | Date | Team | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craig McGinnis | 1989 | Haarlem Nicols | De Spartaan | ?? |
| Eelco Jansen | July 27, 1997 | Corendon Kinheim | ADO | ?? |
| Misja Harcksen | April 14, 2019 | Curaçao Neptunus | Twins Oosterhout | 4-0 |
International Tournaments[edit]
- In the 1964 European Championship, Dutch national team hurlers Rob Hoffmann and Herman Beidschat combined on a perfect game versus the Spanish national team.
- In the 1965 Amateur World Series, David Garcia threw a perfect game for Mexico against Guatemala.
- In the 2008 European Championship Qualifiers, Tom Lyons tossed a perfecto for Greece versus Russia.
- During the 2010 Intercontinental Cup, Cuba's Dalier Hinojosa threw a perfect game against Hong Kong. He also threw a 7-inning perfect game against Sri Lanka in the 2010 World University Championship.
- In the 2010 Asian Games, Yusuke Ishida and Hirofumi Yamanaka had a combined five-inning mercy rule perfect game against the Mongolian national team.
"Near" Perfect Games[edit]
Lost in Extra Innings[edit]
| Pitcher(s) | Date | Team | Opponent | Score | Innings | How Broken |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey Haddix | May 26, 1959 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Milwaukee Braves | 0 - 1 | 13 | In the 13th inning the first batter reaches on an error, followed by sacrifice hit, intentional walk and a "walk-off" double |
| Pedro Martínez (9 inn.) Mel Rojas (1 inn.) |
June 3, 1995 | Montreal Expos | San Diego Padres | 1 - 0 | 10 | In the 10th the first batter leads off with a double, Rojas replaces Martínez and retires next three batters |
Shortened Games[edit]
| Pitcher(s) | Date | Team | Opponent | Score | Innings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Karger | August 11, 1907 (second game) | St. Louis Cardinals | Boston Doves | 4 - 0 | 7 |
| Rube Vickers | October 5, 1907 | Philadelphia Athletics | Washington Senators | 4 - 0 | 5 |
| Dean Chance | August 6, 1967 (second game) | Minnesota Twins | Boston Red Sox | 2 - 0 | 5 |
| David Palmer | April 21, 1984 (second game) | Montreal Expos | St. Louis Cardinals | 4 - 0 | 5 |
Fly Ball Lost in Sun[edit]
| Pitcher(s) | Date | Team | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art Nehf | September 4, 1915 | Boston Braves | Brooklyn Robins | 6 - 0 |
Umpire Error[edit]
| Pitcher(s) | Date | Team | Opponent | Score | Innings | How Broken |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hooks Wiltse | July 4, 1908 | New York Giants | Philadelphia Phillies | 1 - 0 | 10 | With two outs in the 9th inning, umpire Cy Rigler missed an obvious called strike three against batter George McQuillan. The next pitch from Wiltse hit McQuillan in the shoulder. Wiltse retired the next batter and then all three Philadelphia hitters in the 10th inning. New York scored in the bottom of the 10th to give Wiltse a 10-inning no-hitter instead of a 10-inning perfect game. Rigler later admitted his mistake. |
| Armando Galarraga | June 2, 2010 | Detroit Tigers | Cleveland Indians | 3 - 0 | 9 | With two outs in the 9th inning, ground ball to first base 3-1 for putout, umpire Jim Joyce incorrectly calls runner safe; after the game, Joyce admits his error upon reviewing the replay |
Further Reading[edit]
- Anthony Castrovince: "Here's why perfect games have become a rarity", mlb.com, May 22, 2022. [1]
- Joe Cox: Almost Perfect: The Heartbreaking Pursuit of Pitching's Holy Grail, Lyons Press, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, MD, 2017. ISBN 978-1493019502
- Rebecca Sichel, Uri Carl and Bruce Bukiet: "Modeling Perfect Games and No-Hitters in Baseball", in The Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Volume 40, Number 1 (Spring 2011), pp. 58-65.
- Andrew Simon: "A look at all 24 perfect games in AL/NL history", mlb.com, June 29, 2023. [2]
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