Perfect Baseball Games That Nearly Slipped Away
The perfect game is the rarest feat in baseball, achieved only about two dozen times since Lee Richmond threw the first one in 1880. 27 batters come up, and 27 sit down without reaching base. A pitcher can dominate for eight innings and still watch it all vanish on a bloop single, a walk, or a bad hop.
Modern fans follow these games in ways earlier generations never imagined. Many watch with a phone in hand, refreshing box scores, texting friends, or exchanging crypto on switchere.com during a pitching change. None of that makes the final three outs any easier to watch. The history below shows just how thin the margin can be.
Defense That Rescued History in the Ninth
DeWayne Wise Climbs the Wall in Chicago
On July 23, 2009, Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox entered the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays with a perfect game intact. Manager Ozzie Guillén had just sent DeWayne Wise to center field as a defensive replacement. Leadoff hitter Gabe Kapler then launched a deep drive toward left-center. Wise leaped at the wall, snared the ball above the fence, felt it pop loose as he came down, and grabbed it again before it hit the ground.
Buehrle retired the next two hitters and completed the 18th perfect game in major league history when Jason Bartlett grounded to shortstop Alexei Ramírez. It was the second no-hitter of his career, following one against the Texas Rangers in 2007. Without the catch, the afternoon would be remembered as a fine one-hitter at best.
Rusty Greer Dives in Arlington
Kenny Rogers of the Texas Rangers faced a similar moment on July 28, 1994, against the California Angels. Leading off the ninth, Rex Hudler sent a sinking line drive into right-center field that looked like a sure hit. Rangers rookie Rusty Greer raced over, dove, and came up with the ball. Rogers closed out the game two batters later and became the first left-hander in American League history to throw a perfect game.
Close Calls Behind the Plate
Don Larsen and Pitch Dale Mitchell Disputed
Don Larsen of the New York Yankees threw the only perfect game in World Series history on October 8, 1956, beating the Brooklyn Dodgers 2-0 in Game 5. He needed help along the way, including a running backhand catch by Mickey Mantle on a long drive from Gil Hodges in the fifth inning.
The last obstacle was pinch-hitter Dale Mitchell, a career .312 hitter who rarely struck out. On Larsen’s 97th pitch, plate umpire Babe Pinelli rang him up on a called third strike that Mitchell always maintained was outside. Catcher Yogi Berra sprinted to the mound and leaped into Larsen’s arms, which created one of sports’ most famous photographs.
Philip Humber’s Check-Swing Finish
Philip Humber’s perfect game for the White Sox on April 21, 2012, ended even messier. With a full count, Seattle’s Brendan Ryan checked his swing on a pitch that bounced in the dirt. Home plate umpire Brian Runge ruled that Ryan had swung, and because the ball got away, catcher A.J. Pierzynski had to throw to first base to complete the strikeout. Ryan argued the call, but the 21st perfect game in MLB history was already official.
When the 27th Out Slipped Away
Armando Galarraga and the Call That Changed Baseball
On June 2, 2010, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga retired the first 26 Cleveland Indians he faced. Center fielder Austin Jackson had already rescued him in the ninth with an over-the-shoulder catch on a deep fly from Mark Grudzielanek. Then Jason Donald hit a grounder toward first, Miguel Cabrera fielded it, and Galarraga covered the bag in time. First base umpire Jim Joyce called Donald safe. This became one of the most unforgettable moments in Perfect Baseball Games history.
Replays showed the call was wrong, and Joyce tearfully apologized after the game. Galarraga responded with remarkable grace, and the next day he brought the lineup card out to Joyce at home plate.
Mussina and Scherzer Fall One-Strike Short
Mike Mussina of the Yankees came within one strike of a hit at Fenway Park on September 2, 2001. With a 1-2 count, Boston pinch-hitter Carl Everett looped a single into left-center field, and Mussina settled for a one-hit, 1-0 victory.
Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals had his own heartbreak on June 20, 2015. After retiring the first 26 Pittsburgh Pirates, he hit pinch hitter José Tabata with a two-strike pitch that Tabata appeared to lean into. Scherzer still finished a no-hitter, though the perfect game was gone. This remains one of the closest calls in Perfect Baseball Games history.
The games above prove that history is never safe until the ball is secured. A fingertip, a check swing, or a single umpire can decide whether a pitcher joins one of the smallest clubs in sports, and that tension is exactly what makes every perfect game worth remembering.
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