How Many 27 Pitch Games Have There Been

How Many 27 Pitch Games Have There Been?

Okay, let’s talk about something truly special in baseball: the perfect game. Not just any perfect game, but the kind where a pitcher gets every single batter out in just 27 pitches. It’s like hitting a hole-in-one in golf, but even rarer! A 27-pitch perfect game is something fans dream of, a moment of pure pitching dominance. Now, the big question we’re tackling today is just how often has this happened? The short answer? It’s never happened in Major League Baseball.

The Perfect Game Defined

Before we dive deeper, it’s important to understand what a perfect game is. In baseball, a perfect game occurs when a pitcher completes a minimum of nine innings without allowing a single opposing player to reach base. This means no hits, no walks, no hit batsmen, no errors, and no reached base on a dropped third strike. Every single batter the pitcher faces is put out. When achieved, it is an incredible feat of athleticism and skill. Now, imagine achieving all of this in only 27 pitches; that’s a pitcher retiring each batter in one pitch. It means the pitcher is either getting lots of easy outs or making a ton of groundouts and flyouts at the very first pitch. It shows a level of control and a little bit of luck on the part of the pitcher. Now, that’s where the “27-pitch perfect game” comes in – a hypothetical pinnacle of perfection within a perfect game.

Why 27 Pitches is the Theoretical Minimum

Think of it like this: a baseball game has nine innings. In every inning, each team gets a turn at bat, where they try to score runs. For a perfect game to happen, the team at bat needs to be retired without reaching first base. In baseball, a team usually has three outs per inning, so if the pitcher makes each of the batters out on the first pitch, nine times three would equal 27 pitches thrown to complete a game. So, that’s where that magic number comes from. It’s the absolute fewest number of pitches needed to achieve a perfect game – one pitch per out.

The Reality: It Has Never Happened

Here’s where things get really interesting. While it sounds almost mathematically possible, a 27-pitch perfect game has never happened in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB). It hasn’t happened in the Minor Leagues, either, at the professional level. The reason why it’s so hard is because it requires a crazy combination of a pitcher being at their absolute best and a bit of good fortune. Every single batter has to cooperate with the pitcher, making an easy out every single time. And, as any baseball fan knows, that’s a tough ask.

Understanding the Difficulty: Why It’s So Unlikely

Let’s break down why a 27-pitch perfect game is so hard to achieve:

• Batter Discipline: Hitters want to reach base. They look for the best pitch to hit and are not intentionally trying to get out on the first pitch. They might swing on the first pitch, but often they would rather wait for the best opportunity. This can often drive up pitch counts as a result of foul balls, or balls that the hitter might let go by that the pitcher was hoping to get a quick out on.
• Pitcher Control: Even the best pitchers don’t always hit their spots perfectly. Sometimes they might miss with a pitch and they might have to throw another, increasing their pitch counts.
• The Human Element: Baseball is a game of randomness, and human performance is imperfect. Fielders might make an error that should have been an out. A ball might be hit right at a defender, or it might just barely evade them. There’s so much variation in how the ball is hit and the way defenders position themselves on the field. There is a constant variability to it and making sure that the ball is always put in play and fielded perfectly is unlikely.
• Luck Factor: A pitcher can throw a great pitch and a hitter can still get a hit. Sometimes a player might be fooled on a pitch, but they just have to be lucky enough to make a hit. Sometimes a pitcher will throw a pitch that a hitter should absolutely have no problem hitting, but they end up getting a groundout. In short, luck is a huge element that comes into play.

Closest Calls: Near Perfect Games

While a 27-pitch perfect game is mythical, some pitchers have come close to a low pitch-count perfect game. No official records are kept for total pitches thrown in a perfect game, however there is a lot of data that is available, that we can use to find the low pitch count perfect game.

Notable Perfect Games and Pitch Counts

Here are some pitchers who have thrown a perfect game, with some notable pitch counts:

1. Sandy Koufax: On September 9, 1965, Koufax threw a perfect game, while only throwing 113 pitches. This perfect game was monumental, and remains the lowest pitch count of any recorded perfect game.
2. Matt Cain: On June 13, 2012, Cain threw a perfect game while throwing 125 pitches. This game featured 14 strikeouts, which means he had a great performance that was very efficient.
3. Felix Hernandez: On August 15, 2012, Hernandez threw a perfect game while only throwing 113 pitches. Like Koufax, this game is also monumental, and it ties the record of the fewest pitch count.
4. Randy Johnson: On May 18, 2004, Johnson pitched a perfect game, while throwing 117 pitches. Johnson was able to secure the 17th perfect game in history and the oldest player to throw a perfect game in history, at 40 years old.

Perfect Games in the Minors and Other Leagues

While MLB hasn’t seen the 27-pitch feat, what about baseball leagues outside the major leagues? The truth is, the data is much harder to come by for these games, since these games aren’t tracked as much as games at the major league level. Records of all the games at minor league and other levels of baseball are not as easily accessible or compiled in a central location. It’s difficult to know exactly how many near perfect games happened, but just like major league baseball, there’s no record or data to suggest that 27-pitch games exist at any level of baseball.

Why We Still Talk About It

Even though a 27-pitch perfect game has never happened, it’s still a popular topic of conversation among baseball fans. It represents the ideal of pitching perfection. Here’s why it still holds our imagination:

• The Pure Concept: The idea is beautiful. It represents the apex of control and effectiveness, which makes it an enticing, though extremely unlikely, possibility.
• The Unpredictability of Baseball: Baseball is full of surprises and this just represents a level of surprising performance that would defy all expectations.
• The “What If” Factor: It’s fun to imagine a pitcher doing something so incredible. It makes us think about the possibilities of the game and push the limit of what could be achieved.

The Ongoing Quest For Perfection

The quest for a perfect game is something that every starting pitcher in baseball seeks to achieve. It takes a lot of skill and luck for a pitcher to retire every single batter. Even the thought of a 27-pitch perfect game continues to fascinate, reminding us of the theoretical limits of the sport. It is a true symbol of ultimate success in pitching. Each season, fans watch in anticipation, wondering if this will be the year that we will see the elusive perfect game, the one that is completed in 27 pitches. Baseball is the kind of game that offers a wide range of exciting possibilities, and there is no better possibility than a perfect game with the lowest amount of pitches thrown. While we have yet to see it, we can continue to dream of it and ponder if it will ever become a reality.