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Pitching a perfect game is one of the rarest things one can do in the MLB. It's extremely difficult to get 27 outs without letting up a hit, let alone a walk or having a defensive miscue. Even a wild pitch can derail a perfect game, which is why there have been so few. Here's the full list.
How many perfect games in MLB history have been thrown?
There have been 24 perfect games in MLB history. Only 24 times has a pitcher pitched all 27 outs and recorded them in a row.
List of all Major League Baseball perfect games in history
#1 Lee Richmond, 1880
Lee Richmond pitched a perfect game for the Worcester Ruby Legs, becoming the first pitcher to ever do so. He did it so early into the life of the MLB that the league didn't even have the term "perfect game" yet.
#2 John Ward, 1880
Just five days after the first perfect game, John Ward threw his own. In 1880, the Providence Grays starter threw the second perfect game in MLB history just a few years before his team would cease to exist.
#3 Cy Young, 1904
It should come as no surprise that the man the pitching award is named for is on this list. Cy Young's perfecto came in 1904 for the Boston Americans.
#4 Addie Joss, 1908
Addie Joss tossed a perfect game four years after Young did. While playing for the Cleveland Naps, Joss reportedly only threw 74 pitches to complete the game.
#5 Charlie Robertson, 1922
After Joss, no one threw a perfect game for a long time. Charlie Robertson finally broke the streak 14 years later while playing for the Chicago White Sox.
#6 Don Larsen, 1956
Another long break followed. This time it was 34 years before New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen kept everyone off the basepaths. He did it in the World Series, too.
#7 Jim Bunning, 1964
Bunning was able to complete a perfect game in 1964 as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. This was the first in the National League in modern history.
#8 Sandy Koufax, 1965
One year after Bunning, Sandy Koufax was perfect for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He threw 14 strikeouts in the game, which was the record for a long time.
#9 Catfish Hunter, 1968
Catfish Hunter retired all 27 hitters he faced for the Oakland As in 1968. This was before the designated hitter, so Hunter combined the pitching with a 3/4 performance, including a double and three RBI.
#10 Len Barker, 1981
For the then-Cleveland Indians, Len Barker was perfect in 1981. It remains the last no-hitter in Cleveland history.
#11 Mike Witt, 1984
The Los Angeles Angels saw perfection from starter Mike Witt in 1984. The game ended in less than two hours, with the only run coming on a fielder's choice.
#12 Tom Browning, 1988
The Cincinnati Reds starter blanked the Los Angeles Dodgers a month before they would go on to take the World Series title in 1988.
#13 Dennis Martinez, 1991
For the Montreal Expos, Dennis Martinez hurled his at the age of 37, amidst a myriad of other issues. His career had nearly ended long before this game.
#14 Kenny Rogers, 1994
In 1994, Kenny Rogers reached baseball immortality with the Texas Rangers by pitching a perfect game.
#15 David Wells, 1998
David Wells threw a perfect game for the Yankees about a year before another Yankee would throw one.
#16 David Cone, 1999
David Cone followed up Wells' effort one year and one month later. This is the only time perfect games were thrown consecutively by the same team.
#17 Randy Johnson, 2004
One of the best pitchers of all time, Randy Johnson achieved perfection against the Atlanta Braves in 2004.
#18 Mark Buehrle, 2009
Mark Buehrle's game for the White Sox in 2009 was saved by an extra-base hit robbing catch by center fielder Dewayne Wise.
#19 Dallas Braden, 2010
The second Athletics perfect game in franchise history came from Dallas Braden. He blanked the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010.
#20 Roy Halladay, 2010
The second perfect game this year came from Philadelphia Phillies starter Roy Halladay.
#21 Phillip Humber, 2012
2012 was the year of perfect games. Phillip Humber tossed one for the White Sox first.
#22 Matt Cain, 2012
San Francisco Giants starter Matt Cain followed up Humber's effort very shortly after.
#23 Felix Hernandez, 2012
The last perfect game tossed in MLB history was in 2012 by Seattle Mariners starter Felix Hernandez.
#24 Domingo German, 2023
Domingo German recorded the 24th perfect game for the New York Yankees against the Oakland Athletics with nine strikeouts and on ninety-nine pitches.
