How Many Perfect Games In Baseball?

We all know that there have been some truly great pitchers in baseball history. But how many of them have been able to achieve the rare feat of a perfect game?

Introduction

In baseball, a perfect game is when a pitcher throws a complete game and doesn’t allow any batters to reach base. This is considered the holiest of grails for pitchers, and it’s extremely rare – in over 200,000 games played in Major League Baseball history, there have only been 23 perfect games.

Of those 23 perfect games, 7 have been thrown since 2000 – an incredible feat considering there were only 3 perfect games in the 90s and just 2 in the 80s.

The most recent perfect game was thrown by San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain on June 13th, 2012.

What is a perfect game?

A perfect game in Major League Baseball is a game in which no player on the fielding team (the visiting team) reaches first base during the course of the game. As of 2019, there have been 23 such games in the history of MLB. Of those, 22 were achieved by a single pitcher; the other was accomplished by a pitching duo. Roy Halladay is the only pitcher to have pitched two perfect games, doing so in 2010 and again in 2013.

History of perfect games

On June 3, 1880, John Montgomery Ward of the Providence Grays pitched the first perfect game in Major League Baseball (MLB) history against the Cleveland Blues. The National League (NL) played its first season in 1876, followed by the American Association (AA) in 1882; the AA ceased operations after ten seasons, partly due to competition from the NL. In baseball’s modern era, which began in 1901 with the founding of the American League (AL), there have been 23 perfect games by major league pitchers. A perfect game is defined by MLB as a game in which a pitcher (or combination of pitchers) pitches a complete game victory that lasts nine innings or longer without allowing any opposing player to reach base. Thus, any half-inning started with two outs counts as a perfect half-inning; this is usually accomplished by retiring the side in order. If no batters reach base for any reason other than a hit by pitch or catcher’s interference—e.g., fielder’s choice, dropped third strike—the half-inning and game are both perfect items on baseball statistics lists.

The first African American pitcher to throw a perfect game was model citizen Addie Joss for the Cleveland Naps on October 2nd, 1908. One month later on November 9th Albert Spalding of Boston accomplished the same feat against Philadelphia. The most recent person to join this prestigious list is Félix Hernández of Seattle who did it against Tampa Bay on August 15th 2012.

To date there have been 291 no-hitters thrown in MLB history; 27 of those were perfect games. Twenty seven pitchers have thrown more than one no-hitter in their careers; Warren Spahn holds the record with three. Nolan Ryan has thrown more no-hitters than any other pitcher with seven, five of which were perfect games—a record he shares with Sandy Koufax—and two more than runners-up Cy Young and Addie Joss who each accomplished it six times

Why are there so few perfect games?

From March until October, America’s pastime is played nearly every day. Major League Baseball features 30 teams playing a total of 162 games each over the course of a six-month regular season. Yet, in all of MLB history, there have only been 23 perfect games. If any pitcher can do it on any given day, why are there so few perfect games?

The answer lies in the nature of baseball itself. Although it may seem like a pitcher only has to worry about three outs per inning, the fact is that a lot can go wrong in those 27 outs. A missed catch by an outfielder, a bobbled grounder by an infielder, or even a well-hit fly ball that just barely clears the fence can all ruin a perfect game.

In addition, pitchers must be virtually flawless for nine innings in order to achieve perfection. They not only have to retire 27 batters in a row, but they also can’t make any mistakes like hitting a batter or throwing wild pitches. One lapse in concentration can mean the difference between a perfect game and a no-hitter (a game in which no batters reach base safely).

The odds of throwing a perfect game are actually quite small – about 3 million to 1 according to some estimates. But when a pitcher does achieve perfection, it is truly an unforgettable moment in baseball history.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading! We hope you found this guide to perfect games in baseball helpful. As you can see, there have been a total of 23 perfect games in baseball history, spanning over 100 years. While some contend that the perfect game is the pinnacle of baseball achievement, others argue that it is merely a statistical anomaly. Regardless of your opinion, there is no doubt that perfect games are a fascinating part of baseball history.