New York Yankees pitcher Domingo German pitched a perfect game on June 28, the 24th such event in baseball history. Here's a list of all 24 bouts with perfection, along with a lot of great — and sometimes quirky — notes on each game and the winning pitcher.
It was a rare day last week when New York Yankees pitcher Domingo German pitched a perfect game, retiring all 27 Oakland A's batters in an 11-0 win. It was just the 24th perfecto ever, dating all the way back to the first one in 1880 with a completely different set of major-league baseball rules.
It's a small fraternity of perfect-game pitchers, with no one ever doing it twice. Some were Hall of Famers, but others were just journeymen who had very limited and less-than successful careers.
Doing a list of the games was one thing, but I had to dig for the quirky nuggets with each game and/or its pitcher.
Here is the complete list of all 24 perfect games in major-league history.
No. 24 — Domingo Germán
- Score: New York Yankees 11, Oakland A's 0
- Date: June 28, 2023
- Location: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.
- Newsy nugget: German was the first Dominican Republic-born pitcher to throw a perfect game. It is the fourth Yankees perfect game, most in baseball by one franchise. This came as a big surprise because the 30-year-old German had given up 15 earned runs over just 5 1/3 innings in his last two starts combined. It was the first MLB perfect game in nearly 11 years.
No. 23 — Félix Hernández
- Score: Seattle Mariners 1, Tampa Bay Rays 0
- Date: Aug. 15, 2012
- Location: T-Mobile Park, Seattle, Wash.
- Newsy nugget: This was the first perfect game in Seattle history, but it wasn't an odd feeling for Tampa Bay. It was the third time in four years that they were the victim of a perfect game. Seattle's only other no-hitter was by Randy Johnson in 1990.
No. 22 — Matt Cain
- Score: San Francisco Giants 10, Houston Astros 0
- Date: June 13, 2012
- Location: San Francisco, Calif.
- Newsy nugget: Matt Cain had 14 strikeouts, tying Sandy Koufax for the most in a perfect game, and it was a career high in strikeouts for him. It was also the biggest blowout in a perfect game, recently broken in German's perfecto. Cain needed 125 pitches to get through the 27 outs, the most ever in a perfect game. Cain was relaxed coming into the game, hitting golf balls into McCovey Cove from home plate with PGA major champion Dustin Johnson.
No. 21 — Philip Humber
- Score: Chicago White Sox 4, Seattle Mariners 0
- Date: April 21, 2012
- Location: Safeco Field, Seattle, Wash.
- Newsy nugget: Philip Humber didn't have much of a pro career, winning just 16 games, but he was perfect in that April 2012 game in Seattle. In just his 30th career start, he struck out nine. He had a couple of close calls in this one. Alex Rios made a great running catch in the outfield, and there was also some confusion on a dropped third strike that would up being called an out despite an argument from the Mariners.
No. 20 — Roy Halladay
- Score: Philadelphia Phillies 1, Florida Marlins 0
- Date: May 29, 2010
- Location: Sun Life Stadium, Miami, Fla.
- Newsy nugget: This was the highlight of Halladay's season, but it wasn't the only one. He also threw a one-walk no-hitter in the playoffs against the Cincinnati Reds a few months. He was the NL Cy Young Award winner in 2010, his second honor, and he was brilliant that season. He led all of baseball in wins (21), complete games (nine), shutouts (four), innings (250 2/3) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.3). Halladay died in 2017 in a one-person plane crash.
No. 19 — Dallas Braden
- Score: Oakland A's 4, Tampa Bay Rays 0
- Date: May 9, 2010
- Location: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.
- Newsy nugget: This was one of those heart-tugging baseball moments, with Oakland's Dallas Braden pitching his perfect game on Mother's Day. Braden lost his mother to cancer when he was in high school, and his grandmother, who raised him afterward, was in attendance at the game in Oakland. Braden had six strikeouts against the Rays. This was, without question, the highlight of his career. He was just 11-14 that season and was 26-36 for his career.
No. 18 — Mark Buehrle
- Score: Chicago White Sox 5, Tampa Bay Rays 0
- Date: July 23, 2009
- Location: U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago, Ill.
- Newsy nugget: Mark Buehrle was a crafty left-hander, and he kept the Rays completely off balance in that perfect game, the first by a White Sox pitcher in 87 years. Buehrle had previously thrown a no-hitter and this was the middle game of a three-game stretch where he retired 45 batters in a row, which is a major-league record. The Rays, who played in the World Series a year earlier, were an unlikely perfect game victim. At the time, they were second in all of baseball with a .343 on-base percentage.
No. 17 — Randy Johnson
- Score: Arizona Diamondbacks 2, Atlanta Braves 0
- Date: May 18, 2004
- Location: Turner Field, Atlanta, Ga.
- Newsy nugget: A dominant left-hander, Randy Johnson became the oldest pitcher to ever throw a perfect game at 40 years old. It was the first no-hitter in Diamondbacks history, and their only perfect game ever. This was Johnson's second no-hitter. He struck out 13 batters, third-most ever in a perfect game. It was an impressive shutdown of a good team on the road, too. The Braves won 94 games that year.
No. 16 — David Cone
- Score: New York Yankees 6, Montreal Expos 0
- Date: July 18, 1999
- Location: Yankee Stadium, New York, N.Y.
- Newsy nugget: David Cone had 10 strikeouts and needed just 88 pitches to get through his perfect game, which included a 33-minute rain delay in the third inning. This was the first perfect game in MLB interleague play, and it was also witnessed by former Yankee Don Larsen, who threw a perfect game in the 1956 World Series. He was at Yankee Stadium as part of the festivities honoring his catcher, Yogi Berra. When Cone returned to his locker after the game, Larsen and Berra were there waiting for him.
No. 15 — David Wells
- Score: New York Yankees 4, Minnesota Twins 0
- Date: May 17, 1998
- Location: Yankee Stadium, New York, N.Y.
- Newsy nugget: This was David Wells threw 120 pitches to complete his perfect game, the most-ever at the time, and second-most ever to Matt Cain. This was the first perfect game by a Yankees pitcher in a regular-season game. Don Larsen's came in the World Series. Ironically, Wells and Larsen both attended Point Loma High School in San Diego, Calif. The Yankees would go on to win the World Series that season, and they were off to a torrid 28-9 start at the time of Wells' perfecto. It was one of the best teams ever, winning 114 games and then going 12-2 in the playoffs, sweeping the Padres for the title.
No. 14 — Kenny Rogers
- Score: Texas Rangers 4, California Angels 0
- Date: July 28, 1994
- Location: The Ballpark at Arlington, Arlington, Texas
- Newsy nugget: There's usually a great defensive play or two that keeps perfect games alive and Kenny Rogers got his from center fielder Rusty Greer, who made a spectacular diving catch in center field in the ninth inning to keep this perfecto alive. Rogers pitched 20 years in the majors as a 39th-round draft pick, and won a World Series in 1996 with the New York Yankees. He was a four-time All-Star and won five Gold Gloves. Rare nugget: The home plate umpire was minor league fill-in Ed Bean, who was working only his seventh MLB game as home plate umpire. He went back to the minors after this game, and worked only seven more major-league games during his career.
No. 13 — Dennis Martinez
- Score: Montreal Expos 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 0
- Date: July 28, 1991
- Location: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, Calif.
- Newsy nugget: Dennis Martinez was 37 years old at the time of his perfect game, and many thought he was washed up. Martinez, who was the first major-leaguer from Nicaragua, was also the first foreign-born player to throw a perfect game. Martinez, who pitched 22 seasons, won 245 career games.
No. 12 — Tom Browning
- Score: Cincinnati Reds 1, Los Angeles Dodgers 0
- Date: Sept. 16, 1988
- Location: Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Newsy nugget: This was the highlight of a season for Browning, where he went 18–5 and had the National League's second-highest winning percentage. He was just the third left-hander to pitch a perfect game at the time. He had seven strikeouts and threw 100 pitches. Here's a rare stat: It's the only perfect game pitched on artificial turf. People also had to wait to see it because of a 2 hour, 27 minute rain delay, forcing the game to start after 10 p.m. ET. This is one of the most impressive perfect games ever because of the opponent. The Dodgers went on to win the World Series that year.
No. 11 — Mike Witt
- Score: California Angels 1, Texas Rangers 0
- Date: Sept. 30, 1984
- Location: Arlington Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- Newsy nugget: On the final day of the 1984 season, Witt threw a perfect game in a swift 1 hour and 49 minutes. The only run scoring on Reggie Jackson’s RBI fielder’s choice in the seventh. Witt had 10 strikeouts along the way. Witt was also part of a no-hitter, pitching in relief after Mark Langston for a no-no in 1990.
No. 10 — Len Barker
- Score: Cleveland Indians 3, Toronto Blue Jays 0
- Date: May 15, 1981
- Location: Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Newsy nugget: This was the only perfect game in Cleveland team history, and the most recent no-hitter, too, a 42-year franchise drought that's currently the longest in MLB history. Ron Hassey caught the game for the Indians, and he also caught Dennis Martinez's perfect game in 1991. Barker is one of several perfect-game pitchers who finished with a career losing record (74-76).
No. 9 — Jim 'Catfish' Hunter
- Score: Oakland A's 4, Minnesota Twins 0
- Date: May 8, 1968
- Location: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.
- Newsy nugget: Catfish Hunter was just 22 years old when he threw his perfect game, and it was quite a day for the future Hall of Famer. He struck out 11 batters and also went 3-for-4 from the plate in the pre-designated hitter era. Hunter won 200 games before age 31, the first pitcher to do that since 1915. He won five World Series titles and died of ALS far too young at the age of 53. The A's had just moved to Oakland from Kansas City that season, and this was the first great Oakland memory for a franchise that seems to be leaving Oakland very soon.
No. 8 — Sandy Koufax
- Score: Los Angeles Dodgers 1, Chicago Cubs 0
- Date: Sept. 9, 1965
- Location: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, Calif.
- Newsy nugget: The great Sandy Koufax needed 114 pitches to get through his perfect game, the first perfecto ever thrown in a night game. It was also the first perfect game pitched by a left-hander in the modern era (since 1901). Koufax pitched 335 2/3 innings that season and had 27 complete games. He won the pitching Triple Crown that season, leading the big leagues in wins (26), earned run average (2.04), and strikeouts (382), which was then a record.
No. 7 — Jim Bunning
- Score: Philadelphia Phillies 6, New York Mets 0
- Date: June 21, 1964
- Location: Shea Stadium, New York, N.Y.
- Newsy nugget: Jim Bunning's perfect game came on the first game of a doubleheader on Father's Day. He struck out 10 batters, and it was the first perfect game in the National League since 1880, a span of 84 years. Bunning is the only person to ever be elected into the U.S. Senate as a representative of the state of Kentucky and the Baseball Hall of Fame. He's also one of just seven pitchers to throw a perfect game and an additional no-hitter. Bunning had 2,855 strikeouts in his career, which was second all-time when he retired in 1971.
No. 6 — Don Larsen
- Score: New York Yankees 2, Brooklyn Dodgers 0
- Date: Oct. 8, 1956
- Location: Yankee Stadium, New York, N.Y.
- Newsy nugget: This is the only postseason perfect game in baseball history. It was also the first perfect game in more than 34 years. This is the most-seen perfect game, with 64,519 in attendance for Game 5 of the World Series. Larsen pitched in the big leagues from 1953 to 1967, but had a losing record (81-91) during his career. He also lost Game 2 of that World Series, lasting just 1 2/3 innings in a 13-8 loss. The Yankees would win the series in seven games.
No. 5 — Charlie Robertson
- Score: Chicago White Sox 2, Detroit Tigers 0
- Date: April 30, 1922
- Location: Navin Field (later named Tiger Stadium), Detroit, Mich.
- Newsy nugget: This was Charlie Robertson's perfect game was very unlikely to happen, too. It was just his his fifth appearance — and fourth start — in the big leagues and he never had much success afterward, finishing his career with a 49–80 record, the lowest winning percentage (.380) of anyone who threw a perfect game. Tigers player-manager Ty Cobb accused Robertson of illegally doctoring the ball with oil or grease.
No. 4 — Addie Joss
- Score: Cleveland Naps 1, Chicago White Sox 0
- Date: Oct. 2, 1908
- Location: League Park, Cleveland, Ohio.
- Newsy nugget: Joss' perfect game came in the final week of the season in the heat of a pennant race between Cleveland, Chicago and the Detroit Tigers. Joss outdueled Hall of Famer Ed Walsh and the Naps won on an unearned run off of a botched pick-off play. The Naps would lose the pennant by a half-game to Detroit. Joss threw only 74 pitches to record his perfect game, the lowest total ever in a perfecto.
No. 3 — Cy Young
- Score: Boston Americans 3, Philadelphia Athletics 0
- Date: May 5, 1904
- Location: Huntington Avenue Grounds, Boston, Mass.
- Newsy nugget: Cy Young might be the greatest pitcher in baseball history, with his 511 wins, a record that surely will never be broken. He was 37 years old when he pitched his perfect game, the first from 60 feet, 6 inches, and pitched another seven seasons. He is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
No. 2 — John Ward
- Score: Providence Grays 5, Buffalo Bisons 0
- Date: June 17, 1880
- Location: Messer Street Grounds, Providence, R.I.
- Newsy nugget: John Ward threw the second perfect game just five days after the first one. He was an accomplished pre-modern era pitcher, and is is the Baseball Hall of Fame.
No. 1 — Lee Richmond
- Score: Worcester Ruby Legs 1, Cleveland Blues 0
- Date: June 12, 1880
- Location: Worcester Agricultural Grounds, Worcester, Mass.
- Newsy nugget: The rules were different back then, where pitchers threw underhanded from a box just 45 feet from home plate. The conventional mound from 60 feet, 6 inches wasn't instituted until 1893.