Twenty-seven batters up. Twenty-seven batters down. No hits, no walks, no errors, not a single runner touches first base. That’s a perfect game, and it’s the hardest thing a pitcher can do in baseball. In more than 143 years and over 243,000 Major League games, it has happened just 24 times. To put that in perspective, more people have walked on the moon than have thrown a perfect game before the most recent one. So what is a perfect game in baseball, exactly, and why does it stand above every other pitching achievement? In this guide, you’ll learn the official rules, how it differs from a no-hitter, how rare it truly is, and the stories behind the most unforgettable performances ever recorded. Let’s break down the rarest feat in the sport.
Defining a Perfect Game: The Official Rules
Major League Baseball defines a perfect game as a complete game of at least nine innings in which no opposing batter reaches first base. That means the pitcher (or pitchers) must retire all 27 batters in order. No hits. No walks. No hit batters. No errors. No catcher’s interference. Nothing.
Author Paul Dickson put it plainly in The New Baseball Dictionary: a perfect game is “a no-hitter in which no opposing player reaches first base… the pitcher or pitchers retire all twenty-seven opposing batters in order.”
Because of that strict standard, a perfect game is always three things at once:
- A shutout, the other team scores zero runs.
- A no-hitter, the other team gets zero hits.
- A perfect game, the other team gets zero baserunners.
The pitcher’s team also has to win. If your defense never lets a runner reach base, the opponent literally cannot score, so a perfect game and a win go hand in hand. This is why players and historians call it the pinnacle of pitching, the toughest, cleanest result you can put on the board.
Perfect Game vs. No-Hitter: What’s the Difference?
People often use these terms as if they mean the same thing. They don’t.
A no-hitter means the pitcher didn’t give up any hits. But batters can still reach base other ways, a walk, a hit-by-pitch, or a fielding error. So a no-hitter can have runners on base, stolen bases, even a run scored in rare cases.
A perfect game allows none of that. Zero baserunners, period.
Here’s the simplest way to remember it: every perfect game is a no-hitter, but not every no-hitter is a perfect game. The perfect game is the stricter, rarer version. Think of a no-hitter as an A and a perfect game as a flawless A-plus, you earned the top grade without a single mark against you.
That difference explains why there have been over 300 no-hitters in MLB history but only 24 perfect games. One walk, one error, one hit batter, and the perfection is gone, even if the no-hitter survives.
How a Perfect Game Can Be Broken Up
A single baserunner ends perfection. It doesn’t have to be a hit. The moment any opposing player reaches first base, by any method, the perfect game is over. That includes:
- A hit, from a bloop single to a home run.
- A walk (base on balls).
- A hit-by-pitch.
- A fielding error by the defense.
- Catcher’s interference.
- An uncaught third strike where the batter reaches first.
This is what makes perfection so cruel. The pitcher isn’t only relying on himself. Every player on the field has to do their job flawlessly, and understanding the different positions in baseball helps explain why one defensive mistake can end a perfect game. One bobbled ground ball by a teammate, one generous strike-zone call that goes the other way, and 27 straight outs slip away.
Several pitchers have lived that heartbreak. Harvey Haddix threw 12 perfect innings in 1959 before losing it in extras. Pedro Martinez pitched nine perfect innings in 1995 only to give up a hit in the 10th. Neither counts as an official perfect game.
How Rare Is a Perfect Game?
Rare barely covers it. With only 24 perfect games across more than 243,700 Major League contests, you’re looking at roughly one in every 10,000 games. Whole generations of fans have watched their favorite teams for decades and never seen one live.
The rarity was baked in from the start. Lee Richmond threw the first perfect game on June 12, 1880. John Ward threw the second just five days later, and then nearly a quarter of a century passed before the third one, even though two or three leagues were operating during parts of that stretch.
Modern baseball has made it even harder. Deeper pitch-count management, stronger bullpen usage, and more patient hitters mean starters rarely get the chance to finish nine innings untouched. As MLB writer Anthony Castrovince noted, perfect games have become an even bigger rarity in today’s game. When Domingo Germán threw one in 2023, it was the first since 2012, an 11-year gap.
How Many Perfect Games Are There in MLB History?
Under the modern definition, MLB officially recognizes 24 perfect games in American League and National League history. Here’s the full list:
| # | Date | Pitcher | Team |
| 1 | June 12, 1880 | Lee Richmond | Worcester |
| 2 | June 17, 1880 | John Ward | Providence |
| 3 | May 5, 1904 | Cy Young | Boston |
| 4 | Oct 2, 1908 | Addie Joss | Cleveland |
| 5 | Apr 30, 1922 | Charlie Robertson | Chicago White Sox |
| 6 | Oct 8, 1956 | Don Larsen | New York Yankees |
| 7 | June 21, 1964 | Jim Bunning | Philadelphia |
| 8 | Sept 9, 1965 | Sandy Koufax | Los Angeles |
| 9 | May 8, 1968 | Catfish Hunter | Oakland |
| 10 | May 15, 1981 | Len Barker | Cleveland |
| 11 | Sept 30, 1984 | Mike Witt | California |
| 12 | Sept 16, 1988 | Tom Browning | Cincinnati |
| 13 | July 28, 1991 | Dennis Martinez | Montreal |
| 14 | July 28, 1994 | Kenny Rogers | Texas |
| 15 | May 17, 1998 | David Wells | New York Yankees |
| 16 | July 18, 1999 | David Cone | New York Yankees |
| 17 | May 18, 2004 | Randy Johnson | Arizona |
| 18 | July 23, 2009 | Mark Buehrle | Chicago White Sox |
| 19 | May 9, 2010 | Dallas Braden | Oakland |
| 20 | May 29, 2010 | Roy Halladay | Philadelphia |
| 21 | Apr 21, 2012 | Philip Humber | Chicago White Sox |
| 22 | June 13, 2012 | Matt Cain | San Francisco |
| 23 | Aug 15, 2012 | Felix Hernández | Seattle |
| 24 | June 28, 2023 | Domingo Germán | New York Yankees |
One fun note: no MLB player has ever thrown two perfect games. Catcher Ron Hassey, though, caught two, for Len Barker in 1981 and Dennis Martinez in 1991.
The Most Memorable Perfect Games Ever Pitched
Every perfect game is special, but a few stand taller than the rest.
Sandy Koufax’s 1965 gem is legendary partly because the opposing pitcher, Bob Hendley, gave up just one hit himself, one of the best-pitched games in history by both sides. Roy Halladay’s 2010 masterpiece came in his first season with Philadelphia, and he’d throw a postseason no-hitter that same year. Randy Johnson became the oldest pitcher to throw one, at 40 years old in 2004.
Then there’s the trio from 2012, when three perfect games happened in a single season, Philip Humber, Matt Cain, and Felix Hernández. Cain’s was statistically dominant, with 14 strikeouts.
But two performances rise above the rest for what they meant: Don Larsen’s under the brightest lights the sport offers, and the most recent one that ended an 11-year drought.
Don Larsen’s World Series Perfect Game
On October 8, 1956, Don Larsen of the New York Yankees did something no one has done before or since: he threw a perfect game in the World Series. Game 5 against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Sixty-plus years later, it remains the only perfect game, and the only no-hitter, in postseason history.
What makes it even more remarkable is who Larsen was. He wasn’t a Hall of Famer. He’d gone 3-21 just two seasons earlier. Yet on the biggest stage in baseball, against a lineup full of stars, he retired all 27 Dodgers in order.
The final out ended with catcher Yogi Berra leaping into Larsen’s arms, one of the most famous images in sports. That a journeyman pitcher reached perfection in the Fall Classic captures exactly why baseball keeps surprising us.
The Last Perfect Game in MLB History
The most recent perfect game belongs to Domingo Germán of the New York Yankees. On June 28, 2023, at the Oakland Coliseum, Germán retired all 27 Oakland Athletics he faced. It was the 24th perfect game in MLB history and the first since 2012.
What made it stand out was how unexpected it was. Germán wasn’t among the game’s dominant aces, and he’d struggled at points that season. But for one night, everything clicked, crisp command, sharp breaking balls, and a defense that made every play.
His performance broke the longest gap between perfect games since the feat became common enough to track. It was a reminder that perfection can arrive on any given day, from any pitcher who gets 27 outs to fall his way.
Perfect Games Beyond MLB: Nippon Professional Baseball and More
MLB gets the spotlight, but the perfect game exists across the baseball world, and other leagues have their own rich history.
Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan has recorded 16 perfect games, including one in the postseason. One of them featured an odd wrinkle: in Hiromi Makihara’s game, his Giants committed a fielding error, a dropped foul fly, without letting the batter reach base, so perfection stayed intact.
The Mexican League counts nine perfect games, including one thrown by three pitchers combined, one in the postseason, and several in seven-inning games. Cuba’s Serie Nacional has one perfect game on record.
There’s also a piece of history that MLB can’t claim. No Major League pitcher has ever thrown two perfect games, but Jean Faut of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League did exactly that, tossing perfect games in both 1951 and 1953. Perfection, it turns out, isn’t only an MLB story.
Conclusion
A perfect game is baseball at its cleanest: a complete game of at least nine innings with zero baserunners, 27 up, 27 down. It’s stricter than a no-hitter, harder than a shutout, and it has happened only 24 times in MLB history. From Lee Richmond in 1880 to Domingo Germán in 2023, each one required a pitcher’s brilliance and a defense that never blinked. Now that you know what separates a perfect game from a no-hitter, and just how rare it really is, you’ll understand exactly why fans hold their breath every time a pitcher retires batter after batter, inning after inning, with nobody reaching first.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a perfect game in baseball?
A perfect game in baseball is a complete game of at least nine innings where a pitcher retires all 27 opposing batters without allowing any baserunners. This means no hits, walks, hit-by-pitch, errors, catcher’s interference, or dropped third strikes 27 up, 27 down.
How does a perfect game differ from a no-hitter?
A no-hitter allows no hits, but batters can still reach base via walks, errors, or hit-by-pitch. A perfect game is stricter: zero baserunners allowed, period. Every perfect game is a no-hitter, but not every no-hitter is a perfect game.
How many perfect games have been thrown in MLB history?
MLB officially recognizes 24 perfect games in American League and National League history, from Lee Richmond’s first in 1880 to Domingo Germán’s most recent on June 28, 2023.
What makes a perfect game so rare?
Only 24 perfect games have occurred in over 243,700 Major League games, roughly one in every 10,000 games. Modern baseball’s deeper pitch-count management and stronger bullpen usage make it even harder for starters to complete nine untouched innings.
What is the most memorable perfect game ever pitched?
Don Larsen’s perfect game on October 8, 1956, during World Series Game 5 remains legendary, it’s the only perfect game ever thrown in postseason history. Yogi Berra leaping into Larsen’s arms after the final out created one of baseball’s most iconic images.
Can a perfect game be thrown in fewer than nine innings?
Under MLB rules, a perfect game must be a complete game of at least nine innings. However, other leagues like the Mexican League have recorded perfect games in seven-inning contests, but these don’t count toward MLB’s official 24.
