MLB PERFECT GAMES

Every Perfect Game in Major League Baseball History | Baseball Almanac

Words alone cannot describe pitching's top "club" and most desired goal — the masterpiece of any career, the pinnacle of the pitching aspect and one of the most difficult feats to achieve in the entire game of baseball is the perfect game.

What is a perfect game in baseball? Author Paul Dickson in The New Baseball Dictionary (1999) describes it best with, "A no-hitter in which no opposing player reaches first base, either by a base hit, base on balls, hit batter, or fielding error; i.e., the pitcher or pitchers retire all twenty-seven opposing batters in order." Research by Baseball Almanac.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"The sun don't shine on the same dog's ass all the time." - Hunter, Catfish. Perfect Game Club Pitcher / Hall of Fame Pitcher. Answer to reporter asking why he was not able to pitch another perfect game. When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It!: Inspiration and Wisdom from One of Baseball's Greatest Heroes. Hyperion Publishing. Kaplan, Dave. Author. 22 May 2002. Page 18.

American League Perfect Games

American League Perfect Games | Baseball Almanac

Official American League Perfect Games

1. 3. Cy Young 37.038 05-05-1904 BOS 3 vs PHI 0 10,267 1:25
2. 4. Addie Joss 28.174 10-02-1908 CLE 1 vs CHI 0 10,598 1:29
3. 5. Charlie Robertson 26.089 04-30-1922 CHI 2 at DET 0 25,000 1:55
4. 6. Don Larsen 26.089 10-08-1956 NY 2 vs BRO 0 64,519 2:06
5. 9. Catfish Hunter 22.031 05-08-1968 OAK 4 vs MIN 0 6,298 2:28
6. 10. Len Barker 25.312 05-15-1981 CLE 3 vs TOR 0 7,290 2:09
7. 11. Mike Witt 24.073 09-30-1984 CAL 1 at TEX 0 8,375 1:49
8. 14. Kenny Rogers 29.260 07-28-1994 TEX 4 vs CAL 0 45,581 2:08
9. 15. David Wells 34.262 05-17-1998 NY 4 vs MIN 0 49,820 2:40
10. 16. David Cone 36.197 07-18-1999 NY 6 vs MON 0 41,930 2:16
11.

18.

Mark Buehrle 30.122 07-23-2009 CHI 5 vs TBR 0 28,036 2:03
12. 19. Dallas Braden 26.269 05-09-2010 OAK 4 vs TBR 0 12,228 2:07
13. 21. Philip Humber 29.122 04-21-2012 CHI 4 at SEA 0 22,472 2:17
14. 23. Felix Hernandez 26.130 08-15-2012 SEA 1 vs TBR 0 21,889 2:22
15. 24. Domingo Germán 30.328 06-28-2023 NY 11 at OAK 0 12,479 2:30

National League Perfect Games

National League Perfect Games | Baseball Almanac

Official National League Perfect Games

1. 1. Lee Richmond 23.039 06-12-1880 WOR 1 vs CLE 0 uk 1:26
2. 2. John Ward 20.107 06-17-1880 PRO 5 vs BUF 0 uk uk
3. 7. Jim Bunning 32.242 06-21-1964 PHI 6 at NY 0 32,026 2:19
4. 8. Sandy Koufax 29.253 09-09-1965 LA 1 vs CHI 0 29,139 1:43
5. 12. Tom Browning 28.142 09-16-1988 CIN 1 vs LA 0 16,591 1:51
6. 13. Dennis Martinez 37.075 07-28-1991 MON 2 at LA 0 45,560 2:14
7. 17. Randy Johnson 40.251 05-18-2004 ARI 2 at ATL 0 23,381 2:13
8. 20. Roy Halladay 33.015 05-29-2010 PHI 1 at FLO 0 25,086 2:13
9. 22. Matt Cain 27.256 06-13-2012 SF 10 vs HOU 0 42,298 2:36
MLB Perfect Games | Research by Baseball Almanac

Un-Official Perfect Games | Do Not Meet MLB Criteria

Andres Galarraga Final Out Blown Call

Photo of Out #27 / The Blown Call (Source: Fox Sports)

Blown Call

Armando Galarraga 06-02-2010 DET 3 vs CLE 0 Jim Joyce Blown Call

Un-Official Perfect Games | Do Not Meet MLB Criteria

National League

Broken Up In Extra Innings

Harvey Haddix 05-26-1959 PIT 0 at MIL 1 E, BB & H In 13th
Pedro Martinez 06-03-1995 MON 1 at SS 0 H In 10th

Un-Official Perfect Games | Do Not Meet MLB Criteria

American League

Less Than Nine Innings

Rube Vickers 10-05-1907 PHI 4 at WAS 0 5 Innings
Dean Chance 08-06-1967 MIN 2 vs BOS 0 5 Innings

Un-Official Perfect Games | Do Not Meet MLB Criteria

National League

Less Than Nine Innings

Ed Karger 08-11-1907 StL 4 vs BOS 0 7 Innings
David Palmer 04-21-1984 MON 4 at StL 0 5 Innings
Un-Official Perfect Games | Research by Baseball Almanac
baseball almanac flat baseball

baseball almanac fast facts

Did you know that Charlie Robertson was the first pitcher to throw a perfect game while pitching on the road? Too easy you say? How about KNOWN pitch counts from perfect games in descending order as researched by Baseball Almanac:

Perfect Game Pitch Counts
Pitcher #
Matt Cain 125
David Wells 120
Randy Johnson 117
Mark Buehrle 116
Roy Halladay 115
Felix Hernandez 113
Sandy Koufax 113
Dallas Braden 109
Catfish Hunter 107
Len Barker 103
Tom Browning 102
Domingo Germán 99
Kenny Rogers 98
Don Larsen 97
Philip Humber 96
Dennis Martinez 95
Mike Witt 94
Jim Bunning 90
Charlie Robertson 90
David Cone 88
Addie Joss 74

Don Larsen's gem during the 1956 World Series was the first and only perfect game to occur during the postseason / World Series AND the entire box score, as well as quotes, video, historical data, and more research, is on Baseball Almanac.

Harvey Haddix pitched perfectly for nine-plus innings only to lose his perfect game during the late innings. For years the game was considered a perfect game until Major League Baseball, in 1991, redefined the rule in respect to what defines a no-hitter and perfect game. Four years after the rule change, Pedro Martinez had his "perfect game" lost in the extra-innings as well.