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* Perfect *

Frayed Knot Apr 08 2014 09:03 PM

A 1-hour program currently making the rounds on ESPN (under their 'E-60' program) examining all the perfect games in MLB history - or at least the ones that exist on film. Kind of cool. The pitchers talk about what they were doing, what they were thinking, and so on. Showed also a couple of the near misses (Mussina, Pedro, Gallaraga) There have been 23 in total. 2 were in the 1800s and 3 more happened by 1922 But then there were none after 1922 until Larsen's in the '56 WS Of the 18 in the era starting with Larsen, every living author of a PG (only Catfish is no longer around) appeared on the show ... with the exception of the always ghost-like Sandy Koufax and the always surly Kenny Rogers. Helps of course that so many of them were recent. Don Larsen - 1956 WS Jim Bunning - 1964 Sandy Koufax - 1965 Catfish Hunter - 1968 Len Barker - 1981 Mike Witt - 1984 Tom Browning - 1988 Dennis Martinez - 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 Felix Hernandez - 2012

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 08 2014 09:11 PM Re: * Perfect *

Saw that the other night -- quite good. So many of them gave great interviews, especially Len Barker, Mussina, Johnson, Burhle and Humber. And Dallas Braden.

Edgy MD Apr 08 2014 09:33 PM Re: * Perfect *

Who was the guy who threw a rain-shortened five-inning perfect game for Montreal? He knew it looked kind of bogus even though it counted, so he went out and threw four more perfect innings against the Mets in his next outing. Years later, the rules changed, and his perfecto got tossed.

Ashie62 Apr 09 2014 12:25 AM Re: * Perfect *

Dallas Braden retired this off season in what would have been his prime if not for arm woes..

G-Fafif Apr 09 2014 07:54 AM Re: * Perfect *

I believe it was Charlie Lea with the five-inning deal. Don't think we heard from Rogers or Koufax, but neither was much missed. Program really got the tension of one of these things across. Found myself rooting for results to occur that I already knew happened. Except for the MFY pitchers, of course.

Edgy MD Apr 09 2014 08:21 AM Re: * Perfect *

G-Fafif wrote: I believe it was Charlie Lea with the five-inning deal. David Palmer, it turns out. I was thinking of him, but I couldn't not conflate him with Len Barker. On April 21, 1984, Palmer made an unusual kind of baseball history when he threw a five-inning perfect game in the second game of a doubleheader at Busch Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals. Officials called the game on account of rain, and major-league baseball officials later struck the game from baseball's official list of perfect games since it only lasted five innings April 21, 1984. And four days later against the Mets, he didn't go the first four in order, as I remembered, but got through 3 1/3. The 1984 Mets won anyhow, of course.

G-Fafif Apr 09 2014 08:59 AM Re: * Perfect *

Lea pitched a no-hitter in 1981, same week Barker pitched his perfecto, same year that the season was shortened and thus I decided 33 years later the no-hitter was shortened. The conflation express rides again!