10 Times In MLB History A Perfect Game Was Ruined Just Before The Final Out

There have been 326 no-hitters thrown in MLB history dating back to the first in 1876. Of those, just 24 have come of the perfect game variety.

One of the rarest feats in sports, the perfect game involves not only no-hitting your opponent but taking it a step further by not allowing a single baserunner.

A pitcher’s stat line must be spotless. No bases on balls. No hit batsmen. The defense must be perfect, too, with no errors being committed. Just 27 batters up and 27 batters down.

There have been a number of pitchers that reached the ninth inning with a perfect game intact only to see it spoiled in the final at-bat. Some of those instances, 13 to be exact, have come with two outs in the final frame – some down to the last strike!

It’s something that’s happened less frequently than the rarest feat in baseball – the unassisted triple play. You don’t see it often, but when you do, it’s absolutely demoralizing.

Here we’ll detail 10 close calls that ended just before that 27th out was recorded.

Hooks Wiltse (1908)

Wiltse pitched for the New York Giants in a 1908 game against the Philadelphia Phillies. That contest came on the 4th of July, but there would be no fireworks.

Both offenses were non-existent in a 1-0 Giants win. Unfortunately, it fell one out short of history.

Wiltse recorded 26 outs and had the 27th batter down to his final strike. A 2-2 delivery hit George McQuillan, the opposing pitcher for the Phillies, to end the perfect game bid.

While he missed out on perfection, Wiltse did go onto record one of just three 10-inning no-hitters ever thrown by an MLB pitcher.

Tommy Bridges (1932)

Detroit Tigers ace Tommy Bridges stymied the Washington Senators on August 5, 1932. The righty struck out seven hitters across nine innings to pick up the win.

Already down 13-0, Washington manager Walter Johnson opted to put in a pinch hitter. Dave Harris lined a single with two outs in the ninth inning to break up not only the perfect game, but the no-hitter, too.

Interestingly enough, Bridges would have another no-no broken up in the ninth inning later in his career.

Milt Pappas (1972)

Pappas pitched for the Chicago Cubs at the time and had been impeccable through the first 26 batters during a September 2nd matchup vs. the Padres. He issued a 3-2 walk to his 27th batter faced.

Pappas was initially ahead in the count 1-2 to pinch hitter Larry Stahl. He then threw three straight pitches ruled outside the zone. While he would go onto get the final out and preserve the no-hitter, the sting of the near-miss on the perfect game likely remained.

Ron Robinson (1988)

The last out is always the most difficult. Cincinnati Reds pitcher Ron Robinson learned that on May 2,1972 after sitting down 26 straight Montreal Expos batters. He was unable to get the 27th man out.

With two down in the ninth frame, Robinson faced pinch hitter Wallace Johnson, a career .255 hitter. After fouling off a 3-2 pitch, Johnson smacked a single. He’d score when the next batter, Tim Raines, hit a two-run homer to chase Robinson from the mound.

Cincinnati would win the game, 3-2, but the pitcher that nearly notched a perfect game was unable to finish out the start.

Dave Stieb (1989)

A little over a year after Ron Robinson’s close call, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dave Stieb had his chance at perfection. Like the man mentioned before him, he failed in that pursuit.

Stieb had a spotless stat line through 8.2 innings against the rival Yankees. A double from Roberto Kelly ended the perfect game bid.

Kelly would come around to score on a Steve Sax single to nix the shutout, too, though the Blue Jays did pick up the win.

Stieb had a history of ninth inning heartbreak. The year before his near-perfect game he had two no-hitters broken up with two outs in the final frame – in back-to-back starts!

He finally got the monkey off of his back with a no-hitter in 1990, which remains the only one in franchise history.

Mike Mussina (2001)

On September 2, 2001, Hall of Fame pitcher Mike Mussina took part in the rivalry between the Red Sox and New York Yankees. He fanned 13 Boston hitters on his way to recording the first 26 outs before running into trouble.

Down to his last strike, Carl Everett lined a single into the outfield grass to break up the no-hitter and perfect game. While he would retire the next batter to preserve the 1-0 win, it was a disappointing outcome that Mussina was all too familiar with.

Four years earlier, he had a perfect game broken up with one out in the ninth inning. He threw four one-hitters across his 18-year career.

Armando Galarraga (2010)

This may be the most notable performance on this list as Galarraga’s game should’ve been perfect. Had it not been for a blown call on the final play, his name would be in the record books.

The Detroit pitcher sat down the first 26 hitters during a June 2, 2010, matchup against Cleveland. He only recorded three strikeouts but was able to keep his opponent off the basepaths throughout the contest.

Down to the final out, Cleveland shortstop Jason Donald dribbled a relatively routine groundball to first base. Galarraga covered the bag and hauled in the throw from his Miguel Cabrera, which beat the runner.

Unfortunately, the bang-bang play was incorrectly ruled safe by the first base umpire, breaking the perfect game. The Tigers later won, 3-0.

Yu Darvish (2013)

Darvish started his 2013 season with a bang. In his first start of the year with the Texas Rangers, he was perfect through 8.2 innings.

Down to his final out, he faced Astros infielder Marwin Gonzalez, who would go onto hit .221 that campaign. Gonzalez laced a hard-hit ball that went through Darvish’s legs before trickling into the outfield.

He was not given the opportunity to finish the contest after the fact. Texas pulled the ace before he could get the last out. The Rangers would win, 7-0, but Darvish missed out on a complete game, no-hitter, and perfecto with one pitch.

Yusmeiro Petit (2013)

Darvish started the 2013 campaign with a near-perfect game. Yusmeiro Petit finished with a close call of his own.

The Giants pitcher retired 26 straight Diamondbacks before facing Eric Chavez in the top of the ninth. Petit got to within one strike of closing out the contest, but his counterpart smacked a 3-2 pitch for a single.

While he wouldn’t etch his name into the record books that 2013 season, he would the next year as a reliever. Petit retired 46 straight hitters across multiple outings to set an MLB mark.

Max Scherzer (2015)

Then with the Nationals, Scherzer made light work of the Pirates across 8+ innings on June 20, 2015. A perfect game was still alive when he got his second out of the ninth frame. It fell apart during a pinch-hit appearance by Jose Tabata.

With a 2-2 count, Tabata was hit by a pitch in the elbow. Some believe he leaned into it. The home plate umpire said otherwise.

Scherzer completed the no-hitter for one of two near misses on the season. Later in the year, he threw a second no-no but lost a perfect game bid due to a fielding error.

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