Baseball’s Perfect Games: A Comprehensive List

A perfect game in baseball is defined by the Official Rules of Major League Baseball as “a game in which a pitcher (or pitchers) completes a game without allowing the opponents to score a run.” This has been accomplished 23 times in MLB history.

Introduction

A perfect game in baseball is defined as a game in which no batter reaches base safely during the course of the game. This is a rare feat, and one that has only been accomplished 23 times in the history of Major League Baseball Of those 23 perfect games, there have been three that have been thrown in postseason play.

The first perfect game in baseball history was thrown by John Montgomery Ward of the Brooklyn Dodgers on June 17, 1880. Ward’s Perfect Game came against the Cincinnati Reds and was the first nine-inning Perfect Game in baseball history The most recent Perfect Game was thrown by Félix Hernández of the Seattle Mariners on August 15, 2012. Hernández’s perfect game came against the Tampa Bay Rays and was the first Perfect Game to be thrown in Safeco Field.

To date, there have been threeperfect games thrown in postseason play. The first came from Don Larsen of the New York Yankees who accomplished the feat against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series The most recent came from Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies who threw a Perfect Game against the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the 2010 National League Division Series The third came from Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants who threw a Perfect Game against the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the 2012 National League Division Series.

A Brief History of Perfect Games

The first perfect game in baseball history was accomplished by John Montgomery Ward on June 17, 1880. Ward, who played for the Providence Grays of the National League retired all 27 batters he faced in a 4-0 victory over the Buffalo Bisons.

Since Ward’s achievement, there have been 23 other pitchers who have tossed a perfect game. The most recent one came on August 15, 2012, when San Francisco Giants starter Matt Cain accomplished the feat against the Houston Astros

Cain’s perfect game was just the second in Giants history. The other one came exactly 50 years earlier, on May 5, 1962 when Juan Marichal no-hit the Houston Colt .45s (now the Astros). Interestingly enough, both of those games were played at Houston’s Astrodome.

The First Recorded Perfect Game

On June 3, 1880, John Montgomery Ward of the Providence Grays pitched baseball’s first recorded perfect game. The Grays defeated the Buffalo Bisons, 6-0.

The Most Recent Perfect Game

On August 15, 2012, San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain threw the 22nd perfect game in Major League Baseball history, defeating the Houston Astros 10-0. Cain’s perfect game was the first in Giants franchise history.

Cain retired all 27 hitters he faced, striking out 14 batters. The final out was made by Astros pinch hitter Jason Castro, who struck out swinging on a 3-2 pitch from Cain.

The Pitchers Who Have Thrown Perfect Games

Here is a list of the pitchers who have thrown perfect games in baseball history

-Cy Young ( 1904)
-Addie Joss (1908)
-Charlie Robertson (1922)
-Don Larsen (1956)
-Jim Bunning (1964)
--Sandy Koufax (1965)
-Catfish Hunter (1968)
-Len Barker (1981)
--Mike Witt (1984)
-Tom Browning (1988)
-Dennis Martinez (1991)
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The Teams Who Have Been Involved in Perfect Games

In baseball, a perfect game is defined by the official rules as a game in which a pitcher or pitchers complete a game without allowing the opposing team to reach base. This is considered the highest possible achievement for a pitcher. In order for a game to be ruled a perfect game, it must be of regulation length and no pitcher can be replaced during the course of the game. The pitcher or pitchers must also retire every batter they face. If a batter reaches first base due to an error or other type of play that is not ruled an official at-bat, the perfect game is still intact as long as no other batters reach base.

To date, there have been 23 perfect games in MLB history. Of those 23 perfect games, there have been 14 no-hitters and 9 complete-game shutouts. The most recent perfect game was thrown by Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay on May 29, 2010 against the Florida Marlins.

Here is a list of the teams who have been involved in perfect games:

--Boston Red Sox (3 times)
--Cleveland Indians (2 times)
--Los Angeles Dodgers (2 times)
--Pittsburgh Pirates (2 times)
--Chicago White Sox (1 time)
--Detroit Tigers (1 time)
--Houston Astros (1 time)
--Kansas City Royals (1 time)
--Milwaukee Brewers (1 time)
-New York Mets (1 time)
-New York Yankees (1 time)
--Oakland Athletics (1 time)
--Philadelphia Phillies (1 time)

The Umpires Who Called Perfect Games

The following is a list of umpires who have officiated perfect games in major league baseball history. A perfect game is defined as a game in which no batter reaches first base. This list includes all of the umpires who have had the unique distinction of calling a perfect game.

1. Jim Joyce
2. CB Bucknor
3. Angel Hernandez
4. Mike Winters
5. Dan Iassogna

The Broadcasters Who Called Perfect Games

Of the 23 perfect games in MLB history, only five have been called on television. The first was Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series which was called by Mel Allen for ABC. Larsen’s was also the only perfect game to be called by a single broadcaster; all subsequent TV perfect games have had a play-by-play announcer and color commentator.

The next two TV perfect games were both called by NBC’s Curt Gowdy. Gowdy first called Jim Bunning’s perfect game for the Philadelphia Phillies against the New York Mets in 1964. Gowdy then called Sandy Koufax’s perfect game for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Chicago Cubs in 1965.

Gowdy was followed by Vin Scully, who called Mike Higbee’s perfect game for the Angels against the Baltimore Orioles in 1975. Scully, who has been the voice of the Dodgers since 1950, is currently the longest-tenured broadcaster with a single team in Major League history.

The most recent TV perfect game was Ken Harvey’s complete-game shutout for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Atlanta Braves in 2004. It was called on FOX by Joe Buck and Tim McCarver.

The Fans Who Witnessed Perfect Games

In a perfect game, no batter reaches first base. In baseball history there have been 23 perfect games, but only ten of those have been witnessed by fans in the stands. Here are the stories of the lucky fans who were able to say they saw history being made.

1. On October 8, 1956, Don Larsen of the New York Yankees pitched the only perfect game in World Series history. Larsen’s perfect game was witnessed by 66,961 fans at Yankee Stadium and millions more on television.

2. Sandy Koufax’s perfect game on September 9, 1965 was witnessed by just over 23,000 fans at Dodger Stadium Koufax’s perfect game is considered one of the most dominant pitching performances in Baseball History

3. On April 30, 1968, Detroit Tigers pitcher Denny McLain became the first and only pitcher to ever win 30 games in a season. That same day, McLain also pitched a complete game shutout against the Oakland Athletics which was witnessed by 38,000 fans at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

4. Jim Bunning’s Father’s Day perfect game on June 21, 1964 was witnessed by just under 28,000 fans at Shea Stadium. Bunning’s perfect game was notable not only because it was Father’s Day, but also because it was the first night game ever played at Shea Stadium.

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Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed this comprehensive list of baseball’s perfect games! It’s truly remarkable how many there have been over the years, and we’re sure there will be many more to come. Thanks for reading!