This is a list of major league perfect games sorted chronologically. Below it is a list of the near misses we know about. We define a near miss is a pitcher who retired the first 26 batters he faced. The ballpark name listed here might not match what the field was called at the time of the game.
You can click on the date to see the box and play-by-play when available.
Date Pitcher Tm Lg Opp Score Site Park Home Plate Umpire
06/12/1880 Lee Richmond WOR NL CLE 1-0 WOR Ag. County Fair Grounds I Foghorn Bradley
06/17/1880 Monte Ward PRO NL BUF 5-0 PRO Messer Street Grounds Charles Daniels
05/05/1904 Cy Young BOS AL PHA 3-0 BOS Huntington Ave. Grounds Frank Dwyer
10/02/1908 Addie Joss CLE AL CHA 1-0 CLE League Park III Tommy Connolly
04/30/1922 Charlie Robertson CHA AL DET 2-0 DET Navin Field Dick Nallin
10/08/1956 Don Larsen NYA AL BRO 2-0 NYA Yankee Stadium I Babe Pinelli [World Series, Game 5]
06/21/1964 Jim Bunning PHI NL NYN 6-0 NYN Shea Stadium Ed Sudol
09/09/1965 Sandy Koufax LAN NL CHN 1-0 LAN Dodger Stadium Ed Vargo
05/08/1968 Catfish Hunter OAK AL MIN 4-0 OAK Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Jerry Neudecker
05/15/1981 Len Barker CLE AL TOR 3-0 CLE Cleveland Stadium Rich Garcia
09/30/1984 Mike Witt CAL AL TEX 1-0 TEX Arlington Stadium Greg Kosc
09/16/1988 Tom Browning CIN NL LAN 1-0 CIN Riverfront Stadium Jim Quick
07/28/1991 Dennis Martinez MON NL LAN 2-0 LAN Dodger Stadium Larry Poncino
07/28/1994 Kenny Rogers CAL AL TEX 4-0 TEX The Ballpark in Arlington Ed Bean
05/17/1998 David Wells NYA AL MIN 4-0 NYA Yankee Stadium I Tim McClelland
07/18/1999 David Cone NYA AL MON 6-0 NYA Yankee Stadium I Ted Barrett
05/18/2004 Randy Johnson ARI NL ATL 2-0 ATL Turner Field Greg Gibson
07/23/2009 Mark Buehrle CHA AL TBA 5-0 CHA U.S. Cellular Field Eric Cooper
05/09/2010 Dallas Braden OAK AL TBA 4-0 CHA Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Jim Wolf
05/29/2010 Roy Halladay PHI NL FLO 1-0 FLO Sun Life Stadium Mike DiMuro
04/21/2012 Philip Humber CHA AL SEA 1-0 SEA Safeco Field Brian Runge
06/13/2012 Matt Cain SFN NL HOU 10-0 SFN AT&T Park Ted Barrett
08/15/2012 Felix Hernandez SEA AL TBA 1-0 SEA Safeco Field Rob Drake
06/28/2023 Domingo German NYA AL OAK 11-0 OAK Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Edwin Moscoso
We define a near miss as a pitcher retiring the first 26 batters he faces, but not getting a perfect game. There have been several times when the only runner to reach was on an error. None of the errors was in the ninth inning, so to some extent the pressure of going for a perfect game was not there. Those games are indicated on the list of no-hitters.
Here is a list of the ones we know about. We suspect there have been others. If you know of one, please
send an e-mail to "webmaster--ATsign--retrosheet.org". You can click on the date to see the box and play-by-play when available.
Date Pitcher Tm Lg Opp Score Site Park Home Plate Umpire
07/04/1908 Hooks Wiltse NY1 NL PHI 1-0 NY1 Polo Grounds IV Cy Rigler
Wiltse apparently struck out the opposing pitcher, George McQuillan, to end the top of the ninth of a scoreless
game, but umpire Rigler called the pitch a ball. McQuillan after the game said it should have been a strike.
The next pitch hit McQuillan. The game went ten innings and Wiltse did not allow anyone else to reach base
in his near perfect no hitter.
06/23/1917 Ernie Shore BOS AL WAS 4-0 BOS Fenway Park Brick Owens
Babe Ruth started for the Red Sox and walked the first batter. He argued with umpire Brick Owens and was
ejected. Ernie Shore relieved him. The man who walked was caught stealing and Shore retired all 26 batters
he faced, so he pitched nine perfect innings without getting credit for a perfect game. Ruth and Shore are
credited with a combined no-hitter.
08/05/1932 Tommy Bridges DET AL WAS 13-0 DET Navin Field Harry Geisel
Pinch hitter Dave Harris singled. Bridges retired the next batter.
06/27/1958 Billy Pierce CHA AL WAS 3-0 CHA Comiskey Park I Nestor Chylak
Pinch hitter Ed Fitz Gerald hit a double to right. Pierce retired the next batter.
05/26/1959 Harvey Haddix PIT NL MIL 0-1 MIL County Stadium Vinnie Smith
Haddix retired the first 36 batters he faced pitching 12 perfect innings. Unfortunately for him, the Pirates
did not score. In the 13th, the Braves first hitter up reached on an error and scored an unearned run on a
double by Joe Adcock, the only hit Haddix allowed in 12-2/3 innings.
09/02/1972 Milt Pappas CHN NL SDN 8-0 CHN Wrigley Field Bruce Froemming
Pinch hitter Larry Stahl walked. Pappas retired the next batter to complete the no-hitter.
04/15/1983 Milt Wilcox DET AL CHA 6-0 CHA Comiskey Park I Joe Brinkman
Pinch hitter Jerry Hairston singled to center. Wilcox retired the next batter.
05/02/1988 Ron Robinson CIN NL MON 3-2 CIN Riverfront Stadium Paul Runge
Pinch hitter Wallace Johnson singled to left. Tim Raines then hit a two run homer, and John Franco relieved Robinson to get the last out.
08/04/1989 Dave Stieb TOR AL NYA 2-1 TOR Skydome Terry Cooney
Roberto Kelly, who played the whole game, doubled to left. Steve Sax singled him home, and Stieb retired the next batter.
04/20/1990 Brian Holman SEA AL OAK 6-1 OAK Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Drew Coble
Pinch hitter Ken Phelps homered. Holman retired the next batter. Holman batted in the 9th as the Mariners gave up the DH, and reached on an error.
06/03/1995 Pedro Martinez MON NL SDN 1-0 DSN Jack Murphy Stadium Drew Coble
The Expos Martinez retired the first 27 Padres he faced, but the game was scoreless
after nine innings. The Expos scored a run in the top of the tenth. Bip Roberts doubled
leading off the botton of the inning, and Martinez was then relieved by Mel Rojas who
completed the one-hit shutout.
09/02/2001 Mike Mussina NYA AL BOS 1-0 BOS Fenway Park Mike Fichter
Pinch hitter Carl Everett singled to left. Mussina retired the next batter.
06/02/2010 Armando Galarraga DET AL CLE 3-0 DET Comerica Park Marvin Hudson
Jason Donald, who played the whole game, hit a ground ball to the first baseman who
threw to Galarraga covering. First base umpire Jim Joyce called Donald safe for an
infield single. Replays showed that Donald should have been called out, and Joyce
later apologized to Galarraga for the wrong call. The next batter was retired, so
in a sense Galarraga had a 28 out perfect game.
04/02/2013 Yu Darvish TEX AL HOU 7-0 HOU Minute Maid Park Paul Nauert
Darvish struck out 14 as he retired the first 26 batters he faced. Marwin Gonzalez, who played
the whole game, shot a ground ball between Darvish's legs for a clean hit into center
field. Darvish, having thrown 111 pitches, left the game after the hit.
09/06/2013 Yusmeiro Petit SFN NL ARI 7-0 SFN AT&T Park Phil Cuzzi
Petit was one strike away from the second perfect game in San Francisco Giants history,
but after taking a tough 2-2 pitch, Eric Chavez singled just in front of a diving
Hunter Pence in right field, forcing Petit to settle for a dominant one-hitter.
06/20/2015 Max Scherzer WAS NL PIT 6-0 WAS Nationals Park Mike Muchlinski
In his previous start Scherzer carried a perfect game into the seventh inning when a bloop single
was the only hit of the game. In this game, he was one strike away from a perfect game when an
inside pitch grazed pinch hitter Jose Tabata on the elbow. Scherzer kept his cool and got the next
batter to fly out for a no-hitter.
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