Perfect Game vs. Back-to-Back One-Hitters

@3SNDeLlav                                      @3SNdot    

The Perfect Game. It has always been the epitome of baseball glory. 27 up, 27 down. Nothing beats perfection. ....or does it? R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets just pulled off another feat that might challenge the perfect game. The Knuckleballer threw two straight one-hitters. Can it compete with perfection though?


We asked the 3SN crew to debate. And the fans need to choose between the long-winded Dot and the short-and-sweet Dellav. They answer the question: Which is more impressive? The Perfect Game? or Back-to-Back One-Hitters?

@3SNdot:

I played baseball all the way up through high school. In four years of JV/Varsity play, we never had a no-hitter nevertheless a perfect game. The closest we ever came was five (of seven) innings of no-hit ball against a team that was 15-run-ruled in about 95% of their games over my four years of playing against them (the school worried about important things to worry about than baseball). In that game we had a young, non-regular starter pitch and we still came close to pulling it off (and would have, if the offense was there, but the coach was playing lots of non-regular starters). In all of my years playing ball (including summer leagues and such), I saw two no-hitters, and that’s because I threw both of them. They both came in mercy-rule games, one in Little League (six inning game) and one in Colt (seven inning game), both games stopped after the fifth inning. Both teams were non-quality opponents, not tooting my horn here, just displaying facts. But, no perfect game.

Softball is a much different story, where no-hitters are decently common especially in the high school game where a school can have a dominant pitcher. I saw our school’s pitcher, my very good friend, throw a perfect game. …Actually, I saw the first three innings, then had to leave for my own practice, very disappointed….

ANYWAY, digression now aside…I just wanted to point out that I haven’t been a part of a perfect game in baseball. And even as such, the high school game is much different than the major leagues, which is topic of this debate. Just, my personal experience shows that both no-no’s and perfect games are extremely rare.

Many people are beginning to complain about the number of perfect games in recent history. There was a 34-year span between Charlie Robertson’s 1922 perfect game and the next one in MLB thrown by Don Larsen in 1956. Thirteen years separated Catfish Hunter (1968) and Len Barker (1981) achieving perfection. When Mark Buehrle achieved perfection in 2009, he ended a five year drought (Randy Johnson, 2004) without perfect games. Since then, four more perfect games have been pitched, including ones by no-names like Dallas Braden, Philip Humber, and Matt Cain.

While the number of perfect games is rising, it still is extraordinarily rare. Matt Cain last week threw the 22nd perfect game in MLB history.

But for me, it doesn’t mean as much as it used to. Yes, it’s still unbelievable, still a great success and deservedly makes the pitcher immortal. But think about it. Such great names – Catfish Hunter, Sandy Koufax, Randy Johnson, Cy Young – the best of their time and a few of the greatest of all time, are now being joined by guys like Braden and Humber. Braden will still be most remembered in my book for his yelling at Alex Rodriguez after A-Rod walked across the mound. A-Rod didn’t apologize, and called out Braden in the media, noting the pitcher’s losing record. Two weeks later, Braden throws perfection in his first career complete game. He hasn’t done great since, barely signing a contract for this season. Humber also struggled after his perfect game, allowing 20 runs in his next three starts. When these one-and-done pitchers can throw great games, perfect games, but then do nothing else of note in their career (especially immediately following their perfect game) then how meaningful is it? Or was it just lucky that he had his best game when his defense showed up and was playing a weak or struggling offense?

What R.A. Dickey did this week, if they came at different points in his career, might have gone unnoticed. There have been an abundance of one-hitters in history…heck there are probably well over 100 one-hitters as the result of a no-no being broken up in the 9^th inning. One that comes to mind is Armando Galaraga’s “28 Up, 28 Down” game in 2010 when umpire Jim Joyce (admittedly) made an incorrect safe call on what would have been the last out of a perfect game. Instead of perfection, he finished with a one-hitter (and just to back up a previous point, he was sent to the minor leagues after the 2010 season and has been there ever since). 

There have been so many no-hit attempts lost late in the game (or even an early hit given up and no more the rest of the game) that it doesn’t mean too much in terms of history.

However, to do it in back-to-back appearances? That shows that you are efficient, effective, and most importantly CONSISTENT. The first thing they showed from Matt Cain’s perfect game follow-up performance? Allowing a leadoff single. He finished with 3 ER, 6 hits, 4 walks in 5 innings. Not a great follow-up at all. At least he does have three career one-hitters prior to his perfect game. Still, I’ll take Dickey, who allows one hit in each of his last two games, and HASN’T GIVEN UP AN EARNED RUN IN FIVE STRAIGHT STARTS, any day. He’s consistently great, and shows it much more with multiple great games than with one exceptional game. To come right back and do it again five days later, especially against some of the big sticks in the present-day MLB, that’s what makes a back-to-back one-hitter so phenomenal.

Oh, and numbers never lie. Since 1918, there have been a total of nine pitchers to throw back-to-back one-hitters or better (five who allowed one hit in each, three who had a no-hitter and a one-hitter back-to-back, and Johnny Vander Meer who is the only player to throw consecutive no-no’s).  20 perfect games in that time, 9 back-to-back one-hitters or better. That means it’s more than twice as rare. Numbers never lie.

@3SNDeLlav:

I'm going to keep this short and sweet. Who gives a crap about one-hitters? It doesn't mean anything. It's a good performance but I do not think it means as much as a perfect game. I couldn't tell you anybody with a one-hitter and I don't care much to. Yes it's impressive, maybe even more impressive than a perfect game. But it's called a perfect game for a reason. It's perfect. To throw one makes you perfect. I'd much rather throw a perfect game, it means more. That's what matters.