Last night, baseball fans witnessed New York Yankees right-hander Domingo German toss the 24th perfect game in MLB history as the Bronx Bombers downed the Oakland A’s 11-0. Best characterized as a performance few, if any, saw coming, German had struggled mightily in his previous two starts, allowing a whopping 17 combined runs over just 5.1 innings.
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While fellow perfect gamers like Randy Johnson, Roy Halladay, and Sandy Koufax are typically associated with dominant performances on the mound, German is yet another case of an unexpected source entering his name into baseball lore.
In honor of the 30-year-old’s accomplishment, here are the top five most unlikely perfect games in MLB history.
5) Len Barker – May 15th, 1981
On May 15th, 1981, a crowd of only 7,290 were in attendance to watch Cleveland Indians right-hander Len Barker’s date with perfection on what was a cold, wet night at Municipal Stadium. Barker, who dealt with control issues throughout his career, ran roughshod over the Toronto Blue Jays lineup, never once reaching ball three while striking out 11 in Cleveland’s 3-0 victory. Adding to the unlikely outcome was the fact that Barker was actually late getting to the ballpark after picking up his brother from the airport. “Lenny didn’t want to come to the park,” said Barker’s wife, Bonnie. “He was much more concerned about his brother coming in. He also didn’t want to sit through rain delay after rain delay.” Barker’s performance remains the most recent perfect game and no-hitter in Indians/Guardians history – the longest active drought in MLB.
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4) Dallas Braden – May 9th, 2010
The most emotional outing on this list comes courtesy of little-known Athletics lefty Dallas Braden, whose perfect game in 2010 occurred on Mother’s Day – Braden sadly lost his mother to cancer while in high school. The then 26-year-old struck out six Tampa Bay Rays hitters, becoming the youngest pitcher to throw a perfect game since Mike Witt in 1984. Braden has since admitted to pitching the game hungover, making his achievement even more remarkable.
3) Don Larsen – October 8th, 1956
Only once in the history of baseball has a perfect game been thrown in the World Series. The man? Yankees righty Don Larsen, who shut down the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the 1956 Fall Classic. Never one to be associated with precise control, Larsen was dialed in, reaching ball three just once on 97 pitches. The performance came on the heels of a forgettable outing in Game 2 in which Larsen allowed four runs over just 1 2/3 innings in New York’s 13-8 loss. Talk about redeeming yourself.
2) Philip Humber – April 21st, 2012
Philip Humber’s journey to perfection was nothing short of stunning. A former third-overall pick of the New York Mets in 2004, Humber bounced around the league, finding little success. Entering the 2012 season as the White Sox’s number-five starter, the Texas native took the mound on April 21st against the Seattle Mariners, striking out nine batters en route to throwing the 21st perfect game in major league history. The performance marked Humber’s first complete game in the majors, having failed to go more than 7 2/3 innings across his first 29 starts. Humber would unfortunately struggle in the aftermath, allowing 20 runs over his next three outings (13 1/3 innings), and was removed from the team’s rotation following the acquisition of Francisco Liriano. He finished the year with a 5-5 record and a 6.44 ERA.
1) Charlie Robertson – April 30th, 1922
Charlie Robertson’s perfect game holds a unique place in the annals of baseball. As a rookie pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, Robertson had only made three starts before his moment on the mound. Facing a stout Detroit Tigers lineup that featured future Hall of Famers Ty Cobb and Harry Heilmann, Robertson threw the eighth perfect game in MLB history and the first on the road. Both Cobb and Heilmann accused Robertson of doctoring the ball, claims which ultimately proved futile.
