How Many Perfect Games Have There Been in Major League Baseball History?

There have been 23 perfect games in MLB history. A perfect game is when a pitcher throws a complete game and doesn’t allow any baserunners.

Introduction

A perfect game in baseball is defined as a game in which a pitcher throws nine innings without allowing a single batter to reach base. In the history of Major League Baseball, there have been 23 perfect games (as of June 2019).

The first perfect game was pitched by Cy Young in 1904. The most recent perfect game was pitched by Felix Hernandez in 2012. Of the 23 perfect games, four have been pitched in postseason play.

The pitchers who have thrown perfect games in MLB history are as follows:

Cy Young (1904)
Addie Joss (1908)
Charlie Robertson (1922)
Walter Johnson (1924)
Jim Bunning (1964)
Sandy Koufax (1965)
Catfish Hunter (1968)
Len Barker (1981)
Mike Witt (1984)
Tom Browning (1988)
Dennis Martinez (1991)

Kerry Wood (1998)

David Cone (1999)

Randy Johnson (2004)

Dallas Braden (2010)

Roy Halladay (2010)

Philip Humber (2012)

Felix Hernandez (2012).

What is a perfect game?

In baseball, a perfect game is a game in which no batter reaches first base. This is accomplished by the pitcher getting 27 batters out in a row. A perfect game is rare; as of July 2019, there have only been 23 perfect games in Major League Baseball history.

Major League Baseball history

As of the 2019 season, there have been 23 perfect games in Major League Baseball history. A perfect game is defined as a game in which a pitcher or pitchers pitch an entire game without allowing any opposing player to reach base. This feat has been accomplished 23 times in the history of Major League Baseball, with the most recent perfect game being thrown by Seattle Mariners pitcher Mike Fiers on August 21, 2019.

Of the 23 perfect games in Major League Baseball history, there have been 15 no-hitters (a game in which no opposing batter reaches base safely) and 8 instances of a pitcher or pitchers retiring all 27 batters they faced. The first perfect game in Major League Baseball history was thrown by John Montgomery Ward of the Brooklyn Dodgers on June 17, 1880. The most recent perfect game prior to Fiers’ was thrown by Philip Humber of the Chicago White Sox on April 21, 2012.

There have been 11 perfect games thrown in the modern era of Major League Baseball (defined as since 1901), including 3 in the last 10 years. There were none thrown between Sandy Koufax’s perfect game for the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 9, 1965 and Len Barker’s for the Cleveland Indians on May 15, 1981, a span of just over 16 years. The longest stretch without a perfect game prior to that was between Jim Creighton’s for Brooklyn on October 20, 1860 and Ward’s for Brooklyn on June 17, 1880, a span of just over 19 years.

The first perfect game

The first perfect game in Major League Baseball history was pitched by John Richmond on June 12, 1880. The game was a 5-0 victory for the Worcester Ruby Legs over the Cleveland Blues.

Richmond, who was 25 years old at the time, retired all 27 batters he faced. He struck out four hitters and did not allow a single baserunner.

It would be another 33 years before another perfect game was pitched in the major leagues. That game was thrown by Cy Young on May 5, 1904. Young’s perfect game was a 3-0 victory for the Boston Americans (now the Red Sox) over the Philadelphia Athletics.

To date, there have been 23 perfect games pitched in Major League Baseball history. The most recent perfect game was thrown by San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain on June 13, 2012.

The most recent perfect game

The most recent perfect game was thrown by Chicago White Sox pitcher Philip Humber on April 21, 2012. Humber retired all 27 Minnesota Twins batters he faced in a 4-0 win. It was the 21st perfect game in major league history.

Conclusion

As of 2019, there have been a total of 23 perfect games in Major League Baseball history. The first perfect game was thrown by Cy Young in 1904, and the most recent one was thrown by Felix Hernandez in 2012. There have been three perfect games thrown in postseason play, with the most recent one being thrown by Roy Halladay in 2010.