How Many Perfect Games Have There Been in Baseball History?

How many perfect games have there been in baseball history? The answer may surprise you.

Introduction

A perfect game in baseball is when a pitcher throws nine innings and no opposing players reach first base. This is an incredibly rare feat, with only 23 perfect games in the entire history of Major League Baseball. Read on to learn more about these special games, the pitchers who threw them, and the teams that were involved.

What is a perfect game?

In baseball, a perfect game is a game in which a pitcher pitches a complete game and no batter gets on base. This feat has been accomplished 23 times in major league history, the most recent being achieved by Félix Hernández of the Seattle Mariners on August 15, 2012.

A perfect game is also sometimes called a “no-hitter”, although that term can refer to games where the pitcher or pitchers do not allow any hits at all, as well as games where they allow no runs. In order for a game to be classified as a perfect game, there cannot be any errors committed by the defensive team, and no batter can reach first base by any means other than a hit. This includes walks, hit by pitch, or any other type of baserunner. Fielding errors are not counted against a pitcher in their quest for a perfect game.

The first perfect game in baseball history was thrown by Cy Young on May 5, 1904. Young, who pitched for the Boston Americans (now the Red Sox), allowed no hits and no baserunners in his team’s 2-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Young would go on to throw two more no-hitters in his career (one of which was also a perfect game), and is still the major league record holder for most career no-hitters with seven.

The first perfect game

The first perfect game in baseball history occurred on June 3, 1880, when John Montgomery Ward of the Providence Grays pitched a perfect game against the Buffalo Bisons. The second perfect game occurred just over a year later, on July 4, 1881, when Lee Richmond of the Worcester Ruby Legs pitched a perfect game against the Cleveland Blues. Since then, there have been 23 more perfect games in baseball history.

Youngest pitcher to throw a perfect game

On May 29, 2010, Dallas Braden, of the Oakland A’s, threw the 19th perfect game in baseball history. At the time, he was just 26 years old, making him the youngest pitcher to ever throw a perfect game.

Most perfect games by a single pitcher

There have been 23 perfect games in the history of Major League Baseball, and only one pitcher has thrown more than one. That pitcher is Sandy Koufax, who threw perfect games in 1962 and 1965. Koufax is also the only pitcher to have thrown a perfect game in the World Series, which he did in 1965.

Perfect games by teams

To date, 27 perfect games have been thrown in Major League Baseball history. Of those, 23 have come since the turn of the 20th century, with three perfect games being thrown in 2012 alone. The New York Yankees have been on the losing end of more perfect games than any other team, with five perfect games being thrown against them. The most recent perfect game was thrown by San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain against the Houston Astros on June 13, 2012.

Conclusion

So far, there have been 23 perfect games in the history of Major League Baseball. Of those, 3 have come since 2010. There have been slightly more no-hitters than perfect games (281 no-hitters as of the end of the 2018 season), but a perfect game is obviously a more rare and impressive feat.