Only 23 games in many thousands of AL (or NL games) have been played from when Rutherford B. Hayes was in the White House, and 21 during the Modern Era (since 1900). The last time there was one was over nine years ago, the longest since the end of a 13-year gap in 1981.
There are many more close calls, ranging from Harvey Haddix to Armando Gallaraga. Each when a bid is not successful, we are reminded of how hard it is to make a perfect pitch — and that it is not just about excellent pitching skills but also plenty of defense support and luck.
Here’s a look at the 23 players who are perfect, starting with the first bat until the last
Who has the highest number of strikeouts in the perfect game?
As previously mentioned, Koufax posted 14 strikeouts in his perfect game. Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants also struck out 14 times when the pitcher pitched a flawless game in a 10-0 rout of Houston Astros on June 13, 2012. Houston Astros in San Francisco on June 13, 2012.
Randy Johnson is the oldest pitcher to play exact baseball in MLB history.
On May 18, 2004, at the age of 40, Randy Johnson became the oldest pitcher to play a perfect game, winning a 2-0 victory by the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Atlanta Braves in the presence of 23,381 fans at Turner Field. Johnson hit 13 batters, including Chipper Jones, during his three innings.
Perfect game vs. complete game
The distinction between a perfect and a full game is that a complete game is merely a sign that the pitcher who initiated the game has pitched throughout the conclusion of the game. To be able to throw an ideal match, they need to finish the entire game but not let any baserunners in to be allowed for any reason. A complete game is a baseball stat indicating that the pitcher that started the game completed the game that they began. A pitcher may be able to win the title of a complete game, but not the best. The only requirement is to complete the game they started until the last out.
Lee Richmond, 1880
Lee Richmond pitched a perfect game for the Worcester Ruby Legs, becoming the first pitcher to accomplish this feat. He made it happen at a time so early in the history of MLB that it was not even using terms like “perfect game.”
John Ward, 1880
Five days after the first perfect game, John Ward threw his own. In 1880 this Providence Grays starter threw the second perfect game in MLB history, just several years before the time his team was to end its existence.
Charlie Robertson (White Sox)
Robertson was a young, 26-year-old rookie making just his fifth career appearance. Nothing could suggest that perfection was shortly on that particular day on Detroit’s Navin Field. He’d let 33 base runners over 19 innings in his initial four games. But Robertson was astonished and discontented by the Tigers team featuring Hall of Famer Ty Cobb and Harry Heilmann, offering the first evidence that even pitchers who aren’t the best can be exceptional on any given day.
Addie Joss (Cleveland Naps)
We’re now in our Dead Ball Era. Joss, a hall of Famer, dominated in both AL in 1908 and the NL with an impressive 1.16 ERA over 325 innings in 1908; he was said to have only 74 pitches to beat White Sox great Ed Walsh, who struck out 15 but gave up one run. And, even better, it happened in the final days of a fierce AL pennant contest, but Detroit eventually beat each of Cleveland and Chicago.
Catfish Hunter Oakland A’s
Just 25 games into their first campaign at Oakland, Catfish Hunter gave their fans a reason to celebrate.
Hunter was invincible when it came to Harmon Killebrew and the Minnesota Twins on May 8, 1968.
He hit eleven Twins with 107 pitches, including three for Killebrew.
Not one to leave matters to the discretion of other players, Hunter was a force at the plate, too, with his 3-for-4 performance, which included two doubles and three RBI.
David Cone, New York Yankees
The day was “Yogi Berra Day,” and with Don Larsen throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, Cone decimated the Montreal Expos, even with the rain delay lasting 33 minutes during the game.
Cone required only 88 pitches to stop 27 Expos and threw 68 pitches for strikes while notching ten strikeouts during the day. Of the 11 Expos who stepped onto the field and batted, only 2nd baseman Jose Vidro and pinch hitter Ryan McGuire didn’t strike out.
Mike Leake, July 19, 2019,
Leake had a remarkable career. He was one of the few players to bypass the minors and move straight to the majors once selected. He played in a few games over ten seasons and had two96 starts. He was a winner in more than 105 games. It was an impressive career. He also had only one shutout in his career before the mid-July opener with the Mariners in his final MLB season. He had the most successful performance of his life.
Leake had 24 outs in 24 batters against the Angels on the same day. And indeed, the two players Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani were on the field. Leake’s perfect game continued through the ninth. Eyes bled on a grounder through the right-hand part of the field for Luis Rengifo to break out the ideal match and no-hitter. Leake gave an unassisted walk to Kevan Smith, who got three outs to end his one-hit wonder of 10-0.