Perfect game
From BR Bullpen
A perfect game is a complete game pitched without a runner reaching base either by hit, base-on-balls, or error. It 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 seventeen pitchers have thrown perfect games. 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 the MLB was pitched by Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on May 18, 2004.
Contents |
[edit] Perfect Games
[edit] Major League Baseball
[edit] Nippon Professional Baseball
- In Makihara's game the Giants committed one error, a dropped of foul fly ball.
[edit] Mexican League
| 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 |
[edit] Mexican Pacific League
| Pitcher(s) | Date | Team | Opponent | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vicente Romo | 1971 | ||||
| Jesus Moreno | 1989 | ||||
| Joakim Soria | 2006 | Obregon Yaquis | Hermosillo Naranjeros | 6-0 |
[edit] AAGPBL
[edit] Cuban National League
| 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 |
[edit] "Near" Perfect Games
[edit] Lost in Extra Innings
| 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 |
[edit] Shortened Games
| 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 |
