What is a Perfect Game in Baseball
A perfect game is the rarest pitching achievement in baseball, where a pitcher retires every opposing batter in order across at least nine innings without any batter reaching base for any reason.
A perfect game is the rarest individual achievement in baseball — a game in which a pitcher retires all 27 opposing batters in order (9 innings × 3 outs per inning) without a single batter reaching base for any reason. No hits, no walks, no hit batters, no errors, no catcher's interference — a clean 27 up, 27 down performance.
Perfect Game vs. No-Hitter
A perfect game is a subset of a no-hitter, and is far more difficult:
| Achievement | Hits Allowed | Base Runners Allowed | Count in MLB History |
|---|---|---|---|
| No-hitter | 0 | Some allowed (walks, errors) | 300+ |
| Perfect game | 0 | 0 — none whatsoever | 23 |
Every perfect game is also a no-hitter. Not every no-hitter is a perfect game.
MLB Perfect Games in History
As of 2025, only 23 perfect games have been thrown in Major League Baseball history since 1880. The list includes:
- Lee Richmond (1880) and Monte Ward (1880) — the first two perfect games, thrown 5 days apart
- Cy Young (1904)
- Addie Joss (1908)
- Charlie Robertson (1922)
- Don Larsen (1956) — The only perfect game in World Series history (Yankees vs. Dodgers, Game 5)
- Sandy Koufax (1965)
- Jim Hunter (1968)
- Len Barker (1981)
- Mike Witt (1984)
- Tom Browning (1988)
- Dennis Martínez (1991)
- Kenny Rogers (1994)
- David Wells (1998)
- David Cone (1999)
- Randy Johnson (2004)
- Mark Buehrle (2009)
- Dallas Braden (2010)
- Roy Halladay (2010)
- Philip Humber (2012)
- Matt Cain (2012)
- Félix Hernández (2012)
The Don Larsen Game
The most famous perfect game in history was thrown by Don Larsen of the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. The only perfect game in World Series history remains one of the greatest individual performances in sports history.
The Near-Misses
Perfect games can be broken up with one out in the 9th inning, making them particularly agonizing. Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers was one out from a perfect game in 2010 when first base umpire Jim Joyce incorrectly called a runner safe on what would have been the final out. Commissioner Bud Selig declined to overturn the call.