Don Larsen
October 8, 1956

Baseball Perfect Games

Pitchers on their Day of Perfection

By Peter Y. Chou
WisdomPortal.com

Randy Johnson
May 18, 2004

# Pitcher Date & Place Score Strikeouts # Pitches
(Strikes)
References
17 Randy Johnson 5-18-2004, Atlanta Arizona-Atlanta (NL) 2-0 13 117 (87) NY Times, 5-19-2004
MLB.com, 5-19-2004
16 David Cone 7-18-1999, New York NY-Montreal (AL/NL) 6-0 10 88 (68) Baseball Almanac
15 David Wells 5-17-1998, New York NY-Minnesota (AL) 4-0 11 120 (79) Boxscores
Harvey Frommer
14 Kenny Rogers 7-28-1994, Arlington Texas-California (AL) 4-0 8 98 (64) Boxscore
13 Dennis Martinez 7-28-1991, Los Angeles Montreal-Los Angeles 2-0 5 96 Boxscore
12 Tom Browning 9-16-1988, Cincinnati Cincinnati-Los Angeles 1-0 7 102 (72) Boxscore
11 Mike Witt 9-30-1984, Arlington California-Texas (AL) 1-0 10 94 (70) Boxscore
10 Len Barker 5-15-1981, Cleveland Cleveland-Toronto (AL) 3-0 11 103 (84) Boxscore
9 Jim "Catfish" Hunter 5-8-1968, Oakland Oakland-Minnesota (AL) 4-0 11 ? Boxscore
8 Sandy Koufax 9-9-1965, Los Angeles Los Angeles-Chicago (NL) 1-0 14 ? Boxscore
7 Jim Bunning 6-21-1964, New York Philadelphia-NY (NL) 6-0 10 ? Boxscore
6 Don Larsen 10-8-1956, New York New York-Brooklyn 2-0
5th Game, World Series
7 97 Harvey Frommer
Sporting News
5 Charlie Robertson 4-30-1922, Detroit Chicago-Detroit (AL) 2-0 6 ? Boxscore
4 Addie Joss 10-2-1908, Cleveland Cleveland-Chicago (AL) 1-0 3 ? Boxscore
3 Cy Young 5-5-1904, Boston Boston-Philadelphia (AL) 3-0 3 ? Boxscore
2 John M. Ward 6-17-1880, Providence Providence-Buffalo (NL) 5-0 ? ? Ward's Perfect Game
1 John Lee Richmond 6-12-1880, Worcester Worcester-Cleveland (NL) 1-0 ? ? Marker 6-12-1880

Koufax's 4th no-hitter was a perfect game 1-0 (Sept. 9, 1965) against Bob Hendley of the Cubs who pitched a one-hitter! The final batter, Harvey Kuenn, 1959 AL batting champ, struck out. He was also the final batter when Koufax threw his 2nd no-hitter (5-11-63).

May 26, 1959
Near Perfection: Harvey Haddix pitched 12 perfect innings in his 1-0 loss to the Milwaukee Braves in the 13th. The Braves lineup entered the game with a composite .315 batting average, but Haddix retired 36 of them in a row.

Books on Baseball's Perfect Games:

Michael Coffey,
27 Men Out: Baseball's Perfect Games
Atria Books, (April 6, 2004)

James Buckley Jr.,
Perfect: The Inside Story of Baseball's Sixteen Perfect Games
Triumph Books (March 2002)

Web Links to Perfect Games:

Randy Johnson throws perfect game at 40
(The Japan Times, May 20, 2004)
Johnson, 40, oldest to be perfect
(By PAUL NEWBERRY, Delaware News Journal, 5-19-2004)
Sports: Facts about Randy Johnson's perfect game
(Associated Press, 5-19-2004)
Download Johnson's perfect game for $3.95
(By Mark Newman / MLB.com, 5-19-2004)
David Cone Perfect Game Box Score
(Baseball Almanac, July 18, 1999 at Yankee Stadium)
Perfect!: David Cone mows down 27 batters in a row
(NY Daily News Cover, July 18, 1999 at Yankee Stadium)
Pitching Perfection: Yankees' David Cone achieves a flawless game
(By Mike Morrison, Infoplease, July 18, 1999)
David Wells Perfect Game Box Score
(Baseball Almanac, May 17, 1998 at Yankee Stadium)
Kenny Rogers Perfect Game Box Score
(Baseball Almanac, July 28, 1994 at The Ballpark in Arlington, TX)
Dennis Martinez Autographed Cover
(Los Angeles, July 28, 1991)
Len Barker Throws Perfect Game
(May 15, 1981 at Cleveland Stadium)
Sandy Koufax Perfect Game Box Score
(Baseball Almanac, Sept. 9, 1965 at Dodger Stadium)
Sandy Koufax Perfect Game Boxscore
(Sept. 9, 1965 at Dodger Stadium)
Don Larsen Perfect Game Box Score & World Series Ticket
(Baseball Almanac: October 8, 1956 at Yankee Stadium)
Marker at the site of baseball's first perfect game
(Worcester, Mass., June 12, 1880)
Perfect Games
(Major League Baseball: Best Players of All Time)
Notes on Perfection & Transcendence
(Pitchers & catchers of perfect games leaping at moment of perfection)

Web Links to Near Perfect Games:

Remembering the Near-Misses
(By John Ralph, MLB.com, 5-18-2004)
Pedro Martinez Throws Perfect Game for Nine Innings
(Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, June 3, 1995)
Harvey Haddix Perfect Loss
(Sporting News, Milwaukee, May 26, 1959)
Haddix controlled Braves - until the 13th inning
(By Frank Clines, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 21, 1999)
Harvey Haddix Pitches 12 Perfect Innings & Loses in the 13th
(Milwaukee, May 26, 1959)
Ernie Shore Retires 26 in Row After Babe Ruth's Ejection
(Unoffical Perfect Game, June 23, 1917)

June 23, 1917: In the first of two games at Boston, Babe Ruth starts for the Red Sox against the Washington Senators and walks the leadoff batter Ray Morgan, griping to plate umpire Brick Owens after each pitch. On ball 4, Ruth punches the umpire in the face and is ejected from the game. Ernie Shore comes in to relief on two-days rest. The runner Ray Morgan is caught stealing. Then Shore retires all 26 men he faces in a 4-0 win, considered as an "unofficial perfect game" since he didn't start the game. Boston's Dutch Leonard beats Walter Johnson 5-0 in the nightcap. Ruth was suspended for 10 days. Later, Shore & Ruth were Yankees roommates.

Don Larsen's perfect game in Yankee Stadium (10-8-1956) preceded David Wells's perfection (5-17-1998) by 42 years, but they attended the same high school, Point Loma High in San Diego.

July 28 Coincindence?
Kenny Rogers perfect game in Arlington, TX occurred on July 28, 1994. The previous perfect game was by Dennis Martinez in Los Angeles on July 28, 1991— exactly 3 years earlier! Three perfect games occurred within 4 days of each other but in different years:
Barker (May 15, 1981)
Wells (May 17, 1998)
Johnson (May 18-2004)

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© Peter Y. Chou, WisdomPortal.com
P.O. Box 390707, Mountain View, CA 94039
email: peter@wisdomportal.com (5-19-2004)