What is a perfect game in baseball?
Definition and Requirements
A perfect game occurs when a pitcher faces the minimum number of batters (27 in a 9-inning game) and retires all of them without any reaching base. This means no hits, walks, hit batsmen, errors, or any other way to reach base. The game must last at least nine innings and be a complete game.
If a game goes into extra innings, a perfect game can still be recorded if the pitcher continues to retire all batters and the game is completed. However, if a runner reaches base at any point, even after the ninth inning, it is no longer a perfect game.
Rarity and Notable Examples
Perfect games are extremely rare. In Major League Baseball, there have been only 23 perfect games as of 2024, with the first in 1880 and the most recent by Domingo Germán in 2023. The feat requires exceptional pitching and often some defensive luck.
A perfect game is different from a no-hitter, which allows runners to reach base via walks or errors. A perfect game is a special type of no-hitter. In a perfect game, the pitcher also cannot hit a batter or allow a runner on via a dropped third strike.
- 27 up, 27 down.
- No hits, walks, errors, or hit batsmen.
- Must pitch at least 9 innings.
- Only 23 in MLB history.
- Rarer than a no-hitter.
Common mistakes
- Confusing a perfect game with a no-hitter; a no-hitter can include walks or errors.
- Thinking a perfect game can be combined among multiple pitchers; it can, but the official definition requires no runner reaches base, and it is still credited to the team.
- Believing a perfect game can be lost only by a hit; a walk, error, or hit batsman also ends it.
