Perfect Game

A perfect game is the most flawless performance a pitcher can achieve, retiring every single batter faced (minimum 27 in a 9-inning game) without anyone reaching base through any means.

Perfect Game Requirements

For a perfect game:

• No hits allowed
• No walks issued
• No hit batters
• No errors by the defense
• No reaching on interference
• Every batter: Out

The Rarity

Perfect games are extraordinarily rare:

• Only 24 perfect games in MLB history (since 1880)
• That's roughly one every 6 years across all of baseball
• Many Hall of Fame pitchers never threw one

Famous Perfect Games

• Don Larsen (1956): Only perfect game in World Series history
• Sandy Koufax (1965): Against the Cubs
• Randy Johnson (2004): At age 40, the oldest to throw one
• Félix Hernández (2012): Against the Rays
• Domingo Germán (2023): Most recent in MLB

The Pressure

What makes perfect games so difficult:

• Every pitch matters: One mistake ends it
• Defense must be flawless: 27 plays, zero errors
• Duration: Perfection for 9 full innings
• Mental strain: The awareness builds each inning

27 Up, 27 Down

This phrase perfectly captures the mathematical beauty: 27 batters come to the plate, and 27 batters return to the dugout having made an out. No exceptions.