What Is a Perfect Game in Baseball? Rules, History & Full List

A perfect game in baseball is one in which a team's pitching and defense retire all 27 batters over nine innings — no hits, no walks, no hit batters, no errors, no base runners by any means. Twenty-seven up, twenty-seven down.

Perfect Game Quick Facts

Detail	Information
Definition	27 batters retired in order; no base runners
Minimum Innings	9
Total in MLB History	24
First Perfect Game	Lee Richmond, 1880
Most Recent	Domingo Germán, 2023
Only Postseason Perfect Game	Don Larsen, 1956 World Series
Combined Perfect Games (MLB)	0
Definition Formalized	September 4, 1991 (MLB Committee for Statistical Accuracy)

The Rules: What Counts and What Breaks It

For an official perfect game, the pitching team must allow zero base runners.

Event	Breaks Perfect Game?	Breaks No-Hitter?
Hit (single, double, triple, HR)	Yes	Yes
Walk	Yes	No
Hit by pitch	Yes	No
Fielding error	Yes	No
Catcher's interference	Yes	No
Uncaught third strike (batter reaches)	Yes	No
Sacrifice / fielder's choice	No	No
Strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play	No	No

Perfect Game vs. No-Hitter vs. Shutout

Feature	Perfect Game	No-Hitter	Shutout
No hits allowed	Yes	Yes	No
No walks allowed	Yes	No	No
No errors allowed	Yes	No	No
No runs scored	Yes	Yes	Yes
Min. innings	9	9	9
MLB occurrences (modern era)	24	~320	1000s

Every perfect game is a no-hitter. Every no-hitter is a shutout. The reverse rarely holds.

Why a Perfect Game Is So Rare

Across roughly 240,000 MLB games since 1876, only 24 perfect games — about 1 in 10,000 games, or one every 4–6 years on average.

According to Wikipedia, pitching a perfect game is one of the rarest feats in baseball, with only 24 instances officially recognized by MLB since 1876, and the most recent occurred almost 11 years after the previous one.

The recipe requires:

Dominant pitching — elite secondary pitch and command
Flawless defense — 27 outs without a misplay
Friendly umpiring — a consistent strike zone
Run support — extra innings can ruin the bid
Pure luck — bloops at fielders, line drives at gloves

Notable example: DeWayne Wise's leaping catch over the bullpen wall preserved Mark Buehrle's 2009 perfect game — arguably the greatest defensive play in any perfecto.

Complete List of MLB Perfect Games (24)

#	Year	Pitcher	Team	Opponent
1	1880	Lee Richmond	Worcester Ruby Legs	Cleveland Blues
2	1880	John M. Ward	Providence Grays	Buffalo Bisons
3	1904	Cy Young	Boston Americans	Philadelphia A's
4	1908	Addie Joss	Cleveland Naps	Chicago White Sox
5	1922	Charlie Robertson	Chicago White Sox	Detroit Tigers
6	1956	Don Larsen	New York Yankees	Brooklyn Dodgers (WS Game 5)
7	1964	Jim Bunning	Philadelphia Phillies	New York Mets
8	1965	Sandy Koufax	Los Angeles Dodgers	Chicago Cubs
9	1968	Catfish Hunter	Oakland A's	Minnesota Twins
10	1981	Len Barker	Cleveland Indians	Toronto Blue Jays
11	1984	Mike Witt	California Angels	Texas Rangers
12	1988	Tom Browning	Cincinnati Reds	LA Dodgers
13	1991	Dennis Martínez	Montreal Expos	LA Dodgers
14	1994	Kenny Rogers	Texas Rangers	California Angels
15	1998	David Wells	New York Yankees	Minnesota Twins
16	1999	David Cone	New York Yankees	Montreal Expos
17	2004	Randy Johnson	Arizona Diamondbacks	Atlanta Braves
18	2009	Mark Buehrle	Chicago White Sox	Tampa Bay Rays
19	2010	Dallas Braden	Oakland A's	Tampa Bay Rays
20	2010	Roy Halladay	Philadelphia Phillies	Florida Marlins
21	2012	Philip Humber	Chicago White Sox	Seattle Mariners
22	2012	Matt Cain	San Francisco Giants	Houston Astros
23	2012	Felix Hernandez	Seattle Mariners	Tampa Bay Rays
24	2023	Domingo Germán	New York Yankees	Oakland Athletics

Notable Facts

As reported by CNBC, Domingo Germán's 2023 effort was the 24th perfect game in major league history, the first since Félix Hernández threw one in August 2012, and joined Don Larsen, David Wells, and David Cone as Yankees pitchers to throw perfect games.

Don Larsen's 1956 is the only postseason perfect game (World Series Game 5).
Yankees lead with 4 (Larsen, Wells, Cone, Germán).
No pitcher has thrown two.
Dodgers and Rays have each been victims three times — most in MLB.
Ron Hassey is the only catcher to catch two (Barker '81, Martínez '91).
Domingo Germán was first under the pitch-clock era (2023).

The Cruelest Near-Misses

Harvey Haddix (1959): 12 perfect innings, then lost it all in the 13th.
Armando Galarraga (2010): 26 outs perfect, then a missed call by umpire Jim Joyce.
Pedro Martínez (1995): 9 perfect innings, lost it on a 10th-inning leadoff double.
Yu Darvish (2013): Two outs from perfection, broken up by Marwin González.

Combined Perfect Games

A combined perfect game (multiple pitchers) is technically allowed by MLB rules but has never happened in MLB. It has occurred once in Japan — Game 5 of the 2007 Nippon Series.

Conclusion

A perfect game is the rarest single-game pitching feat in baseball — rarer than a no-hitter, rarer than 20 strikeouts. With 27 needed in a row and zero margin for error, even the greatest pitchers have done it just once.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many perfect games are there in MLB history?

24 in MLB history. The most recent was Domingo Germán of the New York Yankees against the Oakland Athletics on June 28, 2023.

What's the difference between a perfect game and a no-hitter?

A no-hitter allows base runners via walks, hit-by-pitches, or errors. A perfect game allows zero base runners — every batter retired in order.

Has anyone thrown two perfect games?

No. No pitcher in MLB history has ever thrown two perfect games. Each of the 24 perfect games has a different pitcher's name attached.

Are there combined perfect games in MLB?

No combined perfect game has ever occurred in MLB. The only known combined perfect game in pro baseball happened in Japan's 2007 Nippon Series Game 5.

Who threw the only postseason perfect game?

Don Larsen of the New York Yankees, in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. It remains the only perfect game in postseason history.