They used to be masterpieces authored by the game's ultimate artists. Now they're more like kind acts of randomness.
Philip Humber's perfect game Saturday, when he shut down the Seattle Mariners 4-0, was the second such gem in the last three thrown by pitchers with previously undistinguished resumes, all three coming in less than two years. At one point, baseball did not witness a regular-season perfecto in 42 years.
The gems that bookended Roy Halladay's perfect game on May 29, 2010, were thrown by the Oakland A's Dallas Braden 20 days before and by Humber. Their combined career record is 38-46, with Humber logging only 12 of those victories in parts of seven seasons.
The capricious nature of recent perfectos becomes more remarkable when considering Armando Galarraga's 2010 bid, ruined by a blown umpire's call on what should have been the final out of the game. Galarraga, who has a 26-30 career record, is no longer in the majors.
Before Braden, all but one of the 15 regular-season perfect games in the modern era (since 1900) had been tossed by a pitcher who earned an All-Star Game spot, a Cy Young Award or Hall of Fame status. The only exception was Charlie Robertson in 1922. Don Larsen didn't attain such honors either, but his perfecto came in the World Series. Two others were thrown in 1880, when rules were different.
"I don't know what Phil Humber is doing in this list,'' Humber said after achieving baseball immortality with the 21st overall perfect game ever. "No idea what my name is doing there, but thankful it's there.''
Humber was also thankful for an odd final play that easily could have wrecked his shot at perfection.
With two outs in the ninth and a 3-2 count, Mariners pinch-hitter Brendan Ryan failed to check his swing on a low-and-away slider that eluded catcher A.J. Pierzynski, but was more intent on arguing the call with home-plate umpire Brian Runge than running to first, giving Pierzynski extra time to throw him out.
"When you're in that situation, you have to be a little more aggressive to anything around the plate,'' Ryan said of chasing what clearly would have been ball four. "I mean, that's just the way it has to be. The fans want to see it. So anything that's kind of gray, you have to at least get a piece of."
Like Braden, Humber had never pitched a complete game in the majors until making history, and he went into Saturday with an 11-10 career record and a 4.06 ERA. Yet he didn't have a three-ball count until the ninth and struck out nine, tying a career high.
Humber, 29, didn't require the late-game heroics of former White Sox ace Mark Buehrle, whose perfecto on July 23, 2009, was saved by an astonishing catch in the ninth by center fielder Dewayne Wise, who had just entered the game.
Instead, Humber kept the weak-hitting Mariners (.223 batting average) off balance and chasing his slider, becoming the latest unlikely candidate to etch his name in the record books.
"I don't know if I would say I dominated them,'' Humber said. "Obviously the balls were hit at people, and I'm thankful for that. But, yeah, a well-pitched game and definitely something I'll never forget.''
They used to be masterpieces authored by the game's ultimate artists. Now they're more like kind acts of randomness.
Philip Humber's perfect game Saturday, when he shut down the Seattle Mariners 4-0, was the second such gem in the last three thrown by pitchers with previously undistinguished resumes, all three coming in less than two years. At one point, baseball did not witness a regular-season perfecto in 42 years.
The gems that bookended Roy Halladay's perfect game on May 29, 2010, were thrown by the Oakland A's Dallas Braden 20 days before and by Humber. Their combined career record is 38-46, with Humber logging only 12 of those victories in parts of seven seasons.
The capricious nature of recent perfectos becomes more remarkable when considering Armando Galarraga's 2010 bid, ruined by a blown umpire's call on what should have been the final out of the game. Galarraga, who has a 26-30 career record, is no longer in the majors.
Before Braden, all but one of the 15 regular-season perfect games in the modern era (since 1900) had been tossed by a pitcher who earned an All-Star Game spot, a Cy Young Award or Hall of Fame status. The only exception was Charlie Robertson in 1922. Don Larsen didn't attain such honors either, but his perfecto came in the World Series. Two others were thrown in 1880, when rules were different.
"I don't know what Phil Humber is doing in this list,'' Humber said after achieving baseball immortality with the 21st overall perfect game ever. "No idea what my name is doing there, but thankful it's there.''
Humber was also thankful for an odd final play that easily could have wrecked his shot at perfection.
With two outs in the ninth and a 3-2 count, Mariners pinch-hitter Brendan Ryan failed to check his swing on a low-and-away slider that eluded catcher A.J. Pierzynski, but was more intent on arguing the call with home-plate umpire Brian Runge than running to first, giving Pierzynski extra time to throw him out.
"When you're in that situation, you have to be a little more aggressive to anything around the plate,'' Ryan said of chasing what clearly would have been ball four. "I mean, that's just the way it has to be. The fans want to see it. So anything that's kind of gray, you have to at least get a piece of."
Like Braden, Humber had never pitched a complete game in the majors until making history, and he went into Saturday with an 11-10 career record and a 4.06 ERA. Yet he didn't have a three-ball count until the ninth and struck out nine, tying a career high.
Humber, 29, didn't require the late-game heroics of former White Sox ace Mark Buehrle, whose perfecto on July 23, 2009, was saved by an astonishing catch in the ninth by center fielder Dewayne Wise, who had just entered the game.
Instead, Humber kept the weak-hitting Mariners (.223 batting average) off balance and chasing his slider, becoming the latest unlikely candidate to etch his name in the record books.
"I don't know if I would say I dominated them,'' Humber said. "Obviously the balls were hit at people, and I'm thankful for that. But, yeah, a well-pitched game and definitely something I'll never forget.''
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