Almost Perfect Perfect Games

[webmaster]

Each of the following pitchers was as close to perfection as one could probably get, without actually achieving it. In other words, each pitcher below had a perfect game through eight innings, two outs in the ninth inning, then it came to end:

Almost Perfect

July 4, 1908: Hooks Wiltse
New York Giants (versus the Philadelphia Phillies).
George McQuillan was hit with a pitch, but ended the game with a 10-inning no-hitter.

August 5, 1932: Tommy Bridges
Detroit Tigers (versus the Washington Nationals).
Dave Harris hit a single.

June 27, 1958: Billy Pierce
Chicago White Sox (versus the Washington Senatos).
Ed Fitz Gerald hit a double.

September 3, 1972: Milt Pappas
Chicago Cubs (versus the San Diego Padres).
Larry Stahl was walked, but Pappas ended the game with a no-hitter.

April 15, 1983: Milt Wilcox
Detroit (at and versus the Chicago White Sox).
Jerry Hairston hit a single.

May 2, 1988: Ron Robinson
Cincinnati (versus the Montreal Expos).
Wallace Johnson hit a single.

August 4, 1989: Dave Stieb
Toronto (versus the New York Yankees).
Roberto Kelly hit a double.

April 20, 1990: Brian Holman
Seattle (versus the Oakland Athletics).
Ken Phelps hit a home run.

September 2, 2001: Mike Mussina
New York Yankees (at and versus the Boston Red Sox).
Carl Everett hit a single.

Enjoy & if another one happens, send me an email & I'll update the list.

Sean
"Baseball Almanac: Sharing Baseball. Sharing History."

PS: My apologies for not posting exclusives as often as I should. My work over on Baseball Almanac has bit a bit overwhelming the last couple months.

[Hammerin Hank]

Ah, memories! I remember listening to Mussina's game on ESPN radio. I can't say I wasn't rooting for him.

[webmaster]

Sadly I can't say that I saw or heard any of them. The one I did see, but didn't qualify was Kevin Brown's no-hitter when he was still with the Florida Marlins. Had a perfect game into the 9th then hit somebody (boy my memory is bad, think he was a SF Giant) in the foot with a pitch. Think there was either no outs or one out at the time...

Sean

PS: If you have ever wondered why Baseball Almanac is 35,000+ pages long, its because I have a lot of things I want to remember but obviously can't

[Steffo]

I remember that I was devoting myself to watching the Mussina game because I thought it would be a good game and I had nothing else to do. Turns out his was the actual CLOSEST you can get to a Perfect game without getting it, one strike away. Oh well, I loved watching the game. The one thing people don't remember is that had Mussina not pitched so well, David Cone woulda been the star. No runs till the 8th inning when he was taken out. I also think it was perfect for both teams through 4 or something. Great game, I'm glad I decided to watch it...

[serumgard]

A friend and I were talking about "semi-perfect games"...that is, no-hitters where the pitcher faced the minimum 27 batters. Does anyone know how many times this has happened, if any?

[Biggerin]

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B06030SDN1995.htm

This is a more "near-perfect" game than the rest on the list IMO. Pedro had a perfect game through 9, but gave up a lead-off hit in the tenth.

[Biggerin]

I'm pretty sure in the last two years, someone gave up a hit that was doubled off and he saw the minimum 27 batters, but it wasn't a no hitter.

[serumgard]

Right...the Mets did it earlier this season during their one-hit spree versus the Marlins...but I have yet to hear about a case where a no-hitter was thrown AND the pitcher faced the minimum number of batters.

Thanks for your input.

[MLBfan_Joshua2975]

Aren't you forgetting Mike Mussina when he was with the Orioles and he almost threw a perfect game against the Cleveland indians?????? But Sandy Alomar Junior got that hit.

[The Commissioner]

The Mussina game you are referring to was broken up with one out in the ninth.

Counting the game against the Red Sox, Mussina has come within a total of 3 outs of hurling two perfect games.

[LarrySC]

Reading the thread about the Almost Perfect Games (pitchers that had two outs in the ninth inning, but lost a perfect game) reminded me of what I like to call a Reverse Almost Perfect Game.

On May 19th, 1981, Jim Bibby of the Pittsburgh Pirates gave up a lead-off single to Terry Harper of the Atlanta Braves. Bibby the retired the next 27 batters! What a shame he didn't get Harper!

May 19th, 1981: Pittsburgh 5, Atlanta 0

[Chisox73]

I was watching pieces of Milt Pappas' no-no/near perfect game at the broadcast museum in Chicago recently.The 3-2 pitch to Larry Stahl was borderline and home plate ump Bruce Froemming called it a ball.Pappas was barking at Froemming,then proceeded to get the next batter to pop out to second baseman Carman Fanzone to preserve the no-hitter.

Years later,Pappas was interviewd by then Chicago radio personality Jonathon Brandmeier about the no-no,and he still thinks Bruce Froemming squeezerd him in the 9th.It got better,Brandmeier got Bruce Froemming on the phone and him and Pappas were still arguing the call,some 25 years later.It was riveting radio.

[Mattingly]

Originally posted by The Commissioner
The Mussina game you are referring to was broken up with one out in the ninth.

Counting the game against the Red Sox, Mussina has come within a total of 3 outs of hurling two perfect games.

Actually, it was 2 outs in the 9th, and Moose was a single strike away from getting his perfecto at Fenway.

I don't know if it was Jimy Williams or Joe Kerrigan (probably JK), but he'd had Carl Everett in to PH as the final hope. It was a single to LF, which made Moose *very* nervous, as it was a 1-run game. Had Everett gotten out, David Cone would likely have been the only MLB pitcher to have been on both ends of a perfecto.


Was the other with Baltimore? I don't remember that one at all.

[rich]

i remember the pappas game as a kid. it says alot about froemming--if i guy takes a close pitch in that situation---ring him up, for god's sake. also el bruceo blow a call that would have been an all time highlight reels. black friday for the phils vs l.a. in playoffs. ball hit like a rocket off scmitty's leg deflects to bowa who barehands ball in the air---throws seed to the "hacker" at 1st,---BUT BIG BRUCE BLOWS THE CALL!!!!!

[Utter Chaos]

Originally posted by serumgard
A friend and I were talking about "semi-perfect games"...that is, no-hitters where the pitcher faced the minimum 27 batters. Does anyone know how many times this has happened, if any?

I have put together a list of numerous cases where a pitcher (or pitchers) have faced the minimum number of batters. The only no-hitters in the list are Lew Burdette's gem in 1960 and Terry Mulholland in 1990. In 1997 Mike Grace faced the minimum despite yeilding 3 hits.

7/22/27 Red Luces (Cincinnati)
Pitched a 3-0 one-hitter against the Dodgers while facing the minimum 27 batters. The "hit" is a 6th inning grounder by Hank DeBerry that goes between the legs of Cincinnati 2B Hughie Critz. No details on how DeBerry was retired.

8/18/60 Lew Burdette (Milwaukee Braves)
Pitched a no-hitter, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 1-0. Burdette
faced the minimum 27 batters. Tony Gonzalez reached first in the fifth after being hit by a pitch and was wiped out in a double play.

5/29/80 Bob Welch (Dodgers)
Faces the minimum 27 batters in a 3–0 one-hitter against the Braves. The lone Atlanta base runner is Larvell Blanks, who singles in the 4th inning and is erased on a double play.

5/22/84 LaMarr Hoyt (White Sox)
Faces 27 batters in a 3–0 one-hitter against the Yankees. New York's only hit is Don Mattingly's opposite-field blooper in the 7th inning, which is followed by a double play.

4/26/85 Orel Hershiser (Dodgers)
Pitches a 2–0 one-hitter against the Padres allowing only 2 runners. Tony Gwynn is picked off first base following a walk in the 1st. Gwynn gets San Diego's lone hit with a 4th-inning single but is caught stealing second by Steve Yeager.

9/14/87 Floyd Bannister (Chicago White Sox)
Faces the minimum 27 batters in a 2–0 one-hitter against Seattle, striking out 10 while walking none. Harold Reynolds singles in the 3rd but is thrown out by Gary Redus trying to stretch it into a double. Mark Langston pitched a two hitter in defeat.

9/21/88 Bob Knepper, (Houston Astros)
Pitched a 1-0 one hitter against the Braves. Dale Murphy singled in the 2nd but was caught stealing. In the 9th Albert Hall pinch ran after a Bruce Benedict walk and he too was caught stealing.

8/15/90 Terry Mulholland (Phillies)
The Phillies Terry Mulholland spins the major leagues' 8th no-hitter of the season. Mulholland faces the minimum 27 batters in blanking the Giants 6–0, as just one runner reaches base on a 7th inning throwing error by Charlie Hayes. Rick Parker is then erased on a double play hit into by Dave Anderson.

7/06/90 Jack Morris (Detroit Tigers)
In a 4-0 win over the Royals, Morris finishes with a one hitter. The only hit was a single in the first by Kurt Stillwell. Stillwell is erased on a double play by George Brett and Morris retires the next 24 in a row.

7/21/90 Tim Belcher (Los Angels Dodgers)
Pitched a one hitter against the Pirates allowing just 2 baserunners in a 6-0 victory. In the 4th Jay Bell is caught stealing following a base hit. In the 6th Orlando Merced hits into a double play after Mike LaValliere walked.

9/29/92 Denis Rasmussen (Royals)
Hurls a one-hit, 2–0 shutout over the Angels while facing 27 batters. Damion Easley's leadoff single in the 4th inning is the only California hit. He is then caught stealing Rasmussen to Joyner to Wilkerson.

9/2/97 Mike Grace (Phillies)
Grace followed up Schilling's 16-strikeout victory with a three-hitter, facing the minimum 27 batters, to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-0 win over the Yankees. Grace, who got his first major-league win in 15 months last week, allowed a fourth-inning single to Derek Jeter, an eighth-inning single to Paul O'Neill, and a leadoff single to Charlie Hayes in the ninth. Jeter was thrown out stealing, while O'Neill and Hayes were erased in double plays, as Grace got 15 groundball outs in his second career shutout.

5/24/01 Jon Lieber (Cubs)
Throws one of the best games of his career in a 3-0 victory over the Reds when he needs just 78 pitches to win the one-hit complete-game affair. Juan Casto was the only Cincinnati player to reach base. Lieber faced the minimum 27 batters after getting a double play grounder from Scott Winchester on a botched sacrifice attempt in the sixth to erase Castro's one-out single and a game-ending double play grounder from Ruben Rivera to erase a one-out walk to Castro in the ninth.

9/6/01 Woody Williams (Cardinals)
Shortstop D'Angelo Jimenez spoiled Williams' perfect-game bid, hitting the first pitch of the seventh inning to center for a single. But the rookie was thrown out at second by Jim Edmonds trying to stretch a single into a double. Ben Davis got the Padres started in the ninth with a single to center. After pinch-hitter Tony Gwynn flied out, pinch-hitter Wiki Gonzalez grounded into a 3-6-3 double play to end the game.

4/26/02 Odalis Perez (Dodgers)
Perez was perfect for six innings as Los Angeles beat the Cubs 10-0 Friday at Wrigley, but he wound up with a one-hitter after speedy Corey Patterson beat out a bad-hop infield single leading off the seventh. Chris Stynes then hit into a double play, and Perez faced the minimum 27 batters in his first career shutout.
NOTE: THIS OCCURRED ON THE SAME DAY AS DEREK LOWE'S NO HITTER.

6/17/03 Jae Sao, David Weathers, Armando Benitez (Mets)
Jae Sao and two relievers combined on a one-hitter Tuesday as the New York Mets posted a 5-0 triumph over the Florida Marlins. Sao (5-2) did not allow a hit until the fifth inning when Juan Encarnacion singled to left. Following his single, Encarnacion tried to steal second. He appeared to get a hand on the bag before Roberto Alomar applied the tag, but second base umpire Jim Joyce called him out. Sao, who left after 6 2/3 innings with a broken nail on his right index finger, struck out four and did not walk a batter. Weathers pitched 1 1/3 innings before Benitez pitched a perfect ninth.

[Compy90_2000]

Although he is remembered for his home runs, Babe Ruth belongs on the list of near perfect games. Once when he was still in Boston, I believe, the starting pitcher got ejected after facing just one batter. Ruth came in and retired the next 27 in a row. Anyone know the date of this game?

- Compy

[serumgard]

Originally posted by Compy90_2000
Although he is remembered for his home runs, Babe Ruth belongs on the list of near perfect games. Once when he was still in Boston, I believe, the starting pitcher got ejected after facing just one batter. Ruth came in and retired the next 27 in a row. Anyone know the date of this game?

- Compy

Actually, you've got that reversed. On June 23, 1917, Ruth started the game against Washington. He pitched to one batter, walked him, and was ejected for arguing balls and strikes. Ernie Shore then came in, picked off the guy on first, and retired the next 26 batters.

Until Major League Baseball went through their records in the early '90s and cleaned out their records of perfect games and no-hitters, Ernie Shore was credited with a perfect game. As it stands, Ruth and Shore are credited with a combined no-hitter.

[lamearm]

For some strange reason, the name Harvey Haddix keeps bouncing around in my memory....Something about 12 innings???

[serumgard]

Originally posted by lamearm
For some strange reason, the name Harvey Haddix keeps bouncing around in my memory....Something about 12 innings???

Well aware of that game, you could also include Pedro Martinez on that list. However, I'm referring to official no-hitters (which neither of those games were) where the pitcher faced the major league minimum.

[Communist_Bum]

Harvey Haddix pitched 12 innings of a perfect game against the Braves in 1959 but his no-hitter AND the game on a homer in the 13th. There has never been a pitcher that's thrown 12 perfect innings in a game, let alone lost it! I'm surprised you bumpkins missed him on your list.

[treant985]

Here's a list I put together awhile back. I haven't updated it in several months, so there are still a few holes in there, but most are from the 1800s or early 1900s:
RETIRING FIRST 26+ BATTERS THEN ALLOWING BASERUNNER
N.L.-
7/4/1908 Hooks Wiltse, New York vs. Philadelphia, game 1, hit opposing pitcher (on 0-2 count) (10 innings) (26 batters)
5/26/1959 Harvey Haddix, Pittsburgh vs. Milwaukee, error by 3rd baseman Don Hoak allowed Felix Mantilla to reach base in 13th (36 batters)
9/2/1972 Milt Pappas, Cubs vs. San Diego, walked Larry Stahl (after having 1-2 count) (26 batters)
5/2/1988 Ron Robinson, Cincinnati vs. Montreal, single by Wallace Johnson (26 batters)
6/3/1995 Pedro Martinez, Montreal vs. San Diego, double by Bip Roberts leading off 10th (27 batters)
A.L.-
8/5/1932 Tommy Bridges, Detroit vs. Washington, single by Dave Harris (26 batters)
6/27/1958 Billy Pierce, Chicago vs. Washington, double by PH Ed Fitzgerald (first pitch) (26 batters)
4/15/1983 Milt Wilcox, Detroit at Chicago, single by Jerry Hairston (26 batters)
8/4/1989 Dave Stieb, Toronto vs. New York, double by Roberto Kelly (on 2-0 pitch) (26 batters)
4/20/1990 Brian Holman, Seattle vs. Oakland, home run by Ken Phelps (26 batters)
9/2/2001 Mike Mussina, New York vs. Boston, single by Carl Everett (on 1-2 pitch) (26 batters)


PERFECT GAMES BUT A HIT BATTER OR ERROR
A.A.- 5/24/1884 Al Atkinson, Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh, hit Ed Swartwood to leadoff game
N.L.-
8/19/1880 Larry Corcoran, Chicago vs. Boston, 4 men reached on errors
8/20/1880 Pud Galvin, Buffalo vs. Worcester, 6 men reached on errors
7/25/1883 Charles Radbourn, Providence vs. Cleveland, error by___________
8/4/1884 Pud Galvin, Buffalo vs. Detroit, error by ____________
8/9/1884 Charlie Buffinton, Boston vs. Providence, 5 men reached on errors
7/27/1885 John Clarkson, Chicago vs. Providence, 3 men reached on errors (one DP turned)
9/18/1897 Cy Young, Cleveland vs. Cincinnati, first game, 4 men reached on errors
6/13/1905 Christy Mathewson, New York vs. Chicago, 2 men reached on errors (one DP turned)
7/4/1908 Hooks Wiltse, New York vs. Philadelphia, first game, 10 innings, hit in 9th
9/5/1908 Nap Rucker, Brooklyn vs. Boston, second game, 3 men reached on errors
8/18/1960 Lew Burdette, Milwaukee vs. Philadelphia, hit Tony Gonzalez in fifth
7/20/1970 Bill Singer, Los Angeles vs. Philadelphia, 2 men reach on errors
6/27/1980 Jerry Reuss, Los Angeles vs. San Francisco, throwing error by shortstop Bill Russell in 1st
9/26/1983 Bob Forsch, St. Louis vs. Montreal, error by 2nd baseman Ken Oberkfell, hit Gary Carter in 2nd
8/15/1990 Terry Mulholland, San Francisco vs. Philadelphia, throwing error by 3rd baseman Charlie Hayes in 7th (out in DP)
6/10/1997 Kevin Brown, Florida vs. San Francisco, hit Marvin Benard in 8th
A.L.-
8/30/1910 Tom Hughes, New York vs. Cleveland, error by __________
7/1/1920 Walter Johnson, Washington vs. Boston, second baseman Dave Harris booted a grounder in 7th
9/3/1947 Bill McCahan, Philadelphia vs. Washington, first baseman Ferris Fain threw wildly to McCahan who came over to cover 1st in 2nd
9/10/1967 Joel Horlen, Chicago vs. Detroit, first game, error by 1st baseman Ken Boyer in 5th, hit Bill Freehan in 3rd
7/19/1974 Dick Bosman, Cleveland vs. Oakland, throwing error by Bosman in 4th

FIRST BATTER REACHES, THEN 27 RETIRED STRAIGHT
A.A.- 5/24/1883 Al Atkinson, Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh (hit Ed Swartwood, who stole 2nd, went to 3rd on putout, and scored on passed ball)
A.L.-
6/30/1908 Cy Young, Boston vs. New York (walked leadoff batter) (Baserunner was CS)
6/23/1917 (1st game) Babe Ruth and Ernie Shore, Boston vs. Washington (Ruth walked leadoff man and was ejected; base runner was CS; Shore retired next 26 consecutively)
4/22/1993 Chris Bosio, Seattle vs. Boston (walked first 2 batters, threw DP ball, then retired 26 consecutively)
N.L.-
7/23/1880 Monte Ward, Providence vs. Cincinnati (single by Blondie Purcell to leadoff game)
5/16/1953 Curt Simmons, Philadelphia vs. Milwaukee (single by Bill Bruten to leadoff game)
5/13/1954 Robin Roberts, Philadelphia vs. Cincinnati (home run by Bobby Adams to leadoff game)
7/1/1966 Woodie Fryman, Pittsburgh vs. New York (single to Ron Hunt to leadoff game)
5/19/1981 Jim Bibby, Pittsburgh vs. Atlanta (single by Terry Harper to leadoff game)

[scootermojo]

you guys mention all of these picthers but you have forgotten to mention the most heartbraking one of them all:

12 perfect innings by harvey haddux (pittsburgh) before LOSING in the 13th!

if i was him i would have gone home, bought a semi-automatic gun and shot everyone of the pirates in the lineup who didn't score a run for him.

that just sux

[Bushrod]

People HAVE mentioned Haddix' game 3 or 4 times in this forum. you and Bum need to focus! can you imagine how Hoak felt to ruin it with a damned error!? I'd like to see a film of that error and the reactions. Haddix threw it against the Braves, too, one of the best-hitting teams of all time. he was pissed afterward. He said something bitter, like "you can't count on your team to do anything for you, and then they'll do even less."

Dave Stieb came within an out or two of 2 no-hitters in 2 starts. the second time, when a blooper ruined it, Stieb just stood and stared at the hitter, who stood and stared back. people didn't like Stieb, even his own team.

the year that Ron Robinson came within one out of a perfect game, Tom Browning came within an out of a no-hitter, and then DID pitch a perfect game, and they did all 3 within about a month, late in the year. It was weird.

Floyd Bevins, Yankees, 1947 Series, lost a no-hitter and the game with 2 out in the 9th.

Jim Barr of San Francisco retired 41 straight batters in relief.

Wasn't Bobby Witt's perfect game 5 innings long?

after Johnny Vander Meer threw two consecutive no-hitters, Cincinnati's Ewell Blackwell threw a no-hitter, then came within one out of throwing 2 in a row.

[BustaJ2632]

I'm no longer one to be tooting Mike Mussina's horn, but to be fair he hasn't just come within 3 outs of 2 perfect games....he's come within 7 outs of 3 (maybe 8, at most). He had his game with the Yankees vs. the Red Sox where Carl Everett got the hit with 2 outs in the ninth. He had his game with the Orioles vs. Cleveland where Sandy Alomar, Jr. laced a single to left with 1 out in the ninth. And he had a game with the Orioles vs. Detroit where Frank Catalanatto broke up a perfect game with 2 (maybe 1) out in the eighth, I believe with a double.

[BoSox Rule]

I was at the Mussina/Boston game. Too bad for Pedro in Montreal, too.