EPILOGUE TO PERFECTION: How Perfect Game Pitchers Fared After Their Moment of Glory (Concluded)

RANDY JOHNSON
May 18, 2004

Long time ace of the Mariners staff, Johnson was playing for the Diamondbacks when he completed his masterpiece. He struck out 13 Braves opponents, nearly tying Sandy Koufax's perfect game record of 14. Johnson won 16 games in 2004 at the age of 40 and led the NL with 290 strikeouts. After his perfecto, he won his next five starts, giving up a combined total of 12 earned runs in 31.1 innings. A first ballot Hall of Famer, he captured five Cy Young Awards during his career. He currently ranks second on the all time strikeout list. 


MARK BUEHRLE
July 23, 2009

Pitching in Chicago against Tampa Bay, the left-handed Buehrle used 116 pitches to subdue the Rays offense. In the ninth inning, center fielder DeWayne Wise climbed up the wall to rob Tampa's Gabe Kapler of a home run. In his next start, Buehrle completed another 5.2 perfect innings, extending a streak of 45 consecutive batters retired. This was a record that stood until 2014. The highly durable Buehrle won 10 or more games in fifteen straight seasons. He made no fewer than 30 starts per year in that span. In addition to his perfect game, he also threw a no-hitter. 


DALLAS BRADEN
May 9, 2010

Oakland's Dallas Braden lasted just five seasons in the majors and ended up with a 26-36 record. In spite of his mediocrity, he was perfect against the Rays on the above mentioned date. Only 12,288 fans were on hand to see this Mother's Day game, which lasted just 2 hours and 7 minutes. It was Braden's first complete game. In his next outing, he gave up 4 runs on 7 hits in a 5-1 loss to the Angels. He finished the season at 11-14.


ROY HALLADAY
May 29, 2010

Halladay's masterpiece occurred just 20 days after Dallas Braden's, marking the shortest time between perfect games in major league history. During his sixteen-year career, Halladay led the league in complete games seven times and shutouts on four occasions. Traded from Toronto to Philadelphia before the 2010 campaign, his crowning achievement came against the Marlins. He posted a 21-10 record that year and narrowly missed another perfect game against the Reds in the NLDS. He ended up walking one batter, becoming the only perfect game pitcher to toss a no-hitter in the same season. 


PHILIP HUMBER
April 21, 2012

Humber's perfect game against the Mariners at Safeco Field was the third of its kind in White Sox history. The 29 year old Humber used just 96 pitches to polish off his opponents. The last out of the game was a full count check-swing strike. The ball was dropped by catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who promptly threw to first base. Among the most unlikely candidates for a perfect game, Humber finished the 2012 season with a 6.44 ERA. He was even worse the following year with a 7.90 mark and a 0-8 record. It was his last season in the majors. 


MATT CAIN
June 13, 2012

Before the above mentioned date, no Giants pitcher had ever tossed a perfect game. Cain turned the trick against the Astros. He piled up 14 strikeouts, tying the record set by Sandy Koufax in 1965. Cain's outfielders offered a show of support with spectacular catches in the sixth and seventh innings. 2012 was Cain's all around best season as he posted a 16-5 record with a 2.79 ERA. Since then, he has logged a .355 won/loss percentage. He made just 21 starts in 2016.


FELIX HERNANDEZ
 August 15, 2012

Hernandez's perfecto was the third of the season--the first time this had ever happened. The Mariners ace struck out 12 Rays opponents and used 113 pitches. He felt pretty good that day, confiding to writers afterward that he was thinking about a perfect game from the second inning on. After the historical effort, he yielded just 1 earned run in his next 17 innings of work.  Generally considered to be one of the best pitchers in the American League, "King Felix" has earned six All Star selections and a Cy Young Award. He is carrying a a 3.16 lifetime ERA into the 2017 campaign. 
     
   





  

EPILOGUE TO PERFECTION: How Perfect Game Pitchers Fared After Their Moment of Glory (Part III--From the Expansion Era to the End of the Century)

CATFISH HUNTER
MAY 8, 1968

Aside from the performance itself, there are two remarkable features that set Hunter's perfect game apart. First, he was only twenty-two years old--the youngest pitcher of the modern era to accomplish the feat. Second, he put forth an amazing offensive display that day, going 3-for-4 with a double and 3 RBIs. Playing in his fourth season, Hunter would later forge a Hall of Fame career that included a Cy Young Award and eight All Star selections. After completing his perfect game against the Twins at Oakland Coliseum, Hunter received a phone call from A's owner Charlie Finley informing him that he had cost the team $5,000. "I'm sorry," said Hunter politely. "Who got it?" "You did," replied Finley. "It'll be in your next contract."
  

LEN BARKER
MAY 15 1981

A right-hander, the twenty-five year old Barker was an unlikely candidate for a perfect game. Though he had won 19 games the previous season and led the AL with 187 strikeouts, he had never posted an ERA below 4.17 as a full-time starter. Barker struck out 11 Toronto hitters at Cleveland Stadium and used 103 pitches to record the eighth perfect game in modern history. Only 7,290 fans were in attendance. In Barker's next game, he gave up 3 runs on 8 hits and was charged with his second loss of the season. Beset by arm problems, he missed most of June and July, going 3-4 with a 6.00 ERA after the All Star break. 


MIKE WITT
SEPTEMBER 30, 1984

Tall and lanky at six-foot-seven, 187 pounds, Witt packed his best seasons into a five-year span. Between 1984 and 1988, he posted a 77-59 record for the Angels. During his last start of the '84 campaign, he out-dueled Charlie Hough of the Rangers for a 1-0 perfect game victory. Hough held the Angels scoreless for 6 innings before giving up an unearned run on a fielders choice. Witt retired every batter he faced, using 94 pitches while striking out 10. The game was played in a remarkably brief 1 hour and 49 minutes. After his perfecto, Witt made his next regular season appearance in April of 1985. He lasted through 7.2 rough innings, giving up 10 hits and 4 runs in a 6-2 loss. A few years later, Witt came out of the bullpen to close out a no-hitter for Mark Langston.



TOM BROWNING
SEPTEMBER 16, 1988

The left-handed Browning won 34 games for the Reds in 1985 and '86 before losing his effectiveness the following season. He got back on track in 1988, posting an 18-5 record with a 3.41 ERA. On June 6 of that year, he narrowly missed a no-hitter, shutting down the Padres for 8.1 innings before giving up a single to Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. Three months later, Browning etched his name into the record books with a perfect game against the Dodgers at Riverfront Stadium. The game was interrupted by a two and a half hour rain delay. The Dodgers ended up winning the World Series that year. Browning ended up winning both of his next two starts, allowing just 3 runs in 16 innings. He broke his arm warming up before a game in 1994 and never successfully rehabbed. 


DENNIS MARTINEZ
JULY 28, 1991

Nicknamed "El Presidente," Nicaraguan hurler Dennis Martinez was a fifteen-year veteran entering the 1991 campaign. On July 28, he became the first major leaguer born outside the United States to throw a perfect game. He used 95 pitches to mow down 27 Dodger hitters in a row, reaching a 3-ball count only once. Interestingly, the Dodgers hold the record for most perfect game losses with 3. Only the Rays have been victimized as many times. Martinez won an ERA title in 1991 with a 2.39 mark. He hung around the majors until he was forty-four years old, winning 245 games--among the top totals of the modern era. 


KENNY ROGERS
JULY 28, 1994 

Rogers posted a mediocre 4.46 ERA in 1994 and gave up more than a hit per inning. But during this particular outing at the Ballpark in Arlington, he was unhittable. The left-hander used 98 pitches and struck out 8 Angels batters. Rogers owed a debt of gratitude to center fielder Rusty Greer, who made an amazing diving catch on a hard liner off the bat of Rex Hudler in the ninth inning. Rogers was awful in his next two starts, yielding 12 runs in 10.1 innings. He lasted twenty seasons in the majors, pitching until he was forty-three years old.


DAVID WELLS
MAY 17, 1998

Wells tarnished his perfect game after the fact by claiming he was "half drunk" when he threw it. Suffering from an alleged hangover, he retired all 27 Minnesota batters he faced, using 120 pitches while striking out 10. "It couldn't have happened to a crazier guy," he said after it was over. Comedian Billy Crystal, who was in attendance, walked into the Yankee clubhouse at the game's conclusion and said to Wells jokingly: "I just got here. What happened?" Wells was spectacular in pinstripes throughout his career, posting a 68-28 regular season record and a 7-2 postseason mark.


DAVID CONE
JULY 18, 1999

On a personal note, I remember this game vividly because a friend of mine offered me a ticket and I declined. Don Larsen--author of the only perfect game in World Series history--was on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Cone was masterful against the Expos, using just 88 pitches and striking out 10. In his next start, Cone gave up 6 hits and walked 4 in four innings. He finished the season at 12-9 with an efficient 3.44 ERA. He followed with a dreadful a 4-14 mark the following year.      

My Latest Fiction Project: Scarecrow on the Marsh

Please forgive me for taking a brief diversion from baseball. I would like to share an article I wrote to promote my latest novel, a mystery/thriller entitled Scarecrow on the Marsh. This is a posthumous collaboration with my father, who passed away last March. He was able to complete a rough draft before he succumbed to Merkel Cell Cancer, a rare and insidious disease for which there is no cure. As he lay dying, I promised him I would complete the project and find a publisher. I am proud to say that I accomplished both tasks. All author royalties will be donated to the WGY Christmas Wish fund, which benefits sick and underprivileged children in the Capital Region of New York State. The charity drive is sponsored by 810 WGY--the radio station my father worked at for 30 years.

FROM FIRST TO FINAL DRAFT: THE CHALLENGES OF COMPLETING SCARECROW ON THE MARSH

 Unless you’re an editor, it’s not very often that someone drops a partially completed manuscript in your lap and expects you to finish it. This is a daunting task for anyone, but when the project represents the lifelong dream of a deceased loved one, there’s even more pressure. That’s the situation I found myself in last year when I offered to complete my father’s novel.

            Don’t get me wrong—I’m not complaining. It was something I wanted to do. It was the least I could do for a man who had served a dual role as my mentor and best friend for most of my adult life. But I knew it wouldn’t be easy.

            I spent more than six months researching, editing and writing new chapters for Scarecrow on the Marsh. Every paragraph reminded me that my father was gone. Every addition or alteration invoked profound feelings of guilt and self doubt. There were countless tears. There were bouts of anger and frustration. And though it’s something I would never want to go through again, I feel that I have grown as a writer and a person.

            Basketball great Michael Jordan once said: “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. When you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it or work around it.” In the case of Scarecrow on the Marsh, there was a great deal of climbing and circumnavigating before the final draft was complete.  

DECIPHERING MY FATHER’S HAND-WRITEN NOTES

Thoughts don’t always flow smoothly from brain to page. My Father felt that his ideas were more lucid when he wrote them longhand. The manuscript he left me was entirely handwritten. The margins were crowded with tiny notes. In some cases, there were notes about the notes. The pages were filled with scribbles, cross-outs and insertions. Some of the pages had subtitles—Page 157a, Page 157b and so on. Though I’m sure it all made perfect sense to my Dad, I found it puzzling at times.     

GETTING THE FACTS STRAIGHT

My father chose Cape Cod as a setting for his novel because he had been there many times and was intimately familiar with the place. I myself was not. For months, my desk was littered with street maps and travel brochures. I used Google Earth to examine the physical characteristics of various towns and beaches. Since a significant portion of the novel deals with terrorism, I had a lot to learn. I knew very little about the language, religious beliefs or customs of terrorists. I knew even less about how they go about blowing things up. I performed so many Google searches on the topic I actually became a little paranoid about drawing the attention of Homeland Security.         

KEEPING MY FATHER’S STORY INTACT

Let’s face it—a rough draft is far from perfect.  This was my Dad’s first book so he was still finding his way as a writer. I had never worked on a mystery novel before, but I had read plenty and it definitely helped. My father’s premise was solid.  Unfortunately, there were elements of the story that didn’t quite work. I struggled to determine which passages needed to be omitted or rewritten. This was a grueling process that caused me immeasurable grief. At times, I felt as if I was betraying him. I wanted to keep his ideas intact. I wanted to make him proud. And though I managed to preserve every nuance of the story, the final product is drastically different from the original manuscript. I hope that’s okay with him.                  

CAPTURING THE INTEREST OF PUBLISHERS

Ask any writer and they will tell you that this is the most difficult part of the process. There are roughly 2 million books released every year. Most are self-published works that fail to sell more than fifty copies. I felt that my father’s work deserved a better fate. I could have published directly to Kindle, but I knew he would have preferred paperback over a digital format. There aren’t as many traditional publishers out there nowadays and, without a literary agent, most of the major publishing houses were closed to me. The submission process can be brutal. You wait months for a response and consider yourself lucky to even get a rejection letter. Due to the high volume of submissions, most publishers employ the “if you don’t hear from us in three to six months, we’re not interested” model. After shopping my father’s manuscript around to thirty different editors, I got a few bites. In the end, I opted for a Print-On-Demand format, which reduces publishing costs and allows authors a higher royalty rate.

For three decades, my father worked hard to raise money for the annual WGY Christmas Wish Campaign, which benefits a wide variety of causes in the Capital Region of New York State. I didn’t want to keep any of the profits from his book and figured that Christmas Wish would be an ideal fit. All author royalties will be donated to this year’s campaign. Won’t you please help me honor my father’s memory by picking up a copy of Scarecrow on the Marsh?    

10 Interesting Facts About The Last Time The Cubs Won the World Series

It's been a long time since the Cubs called themselves champions of major league baseball. To illustrate just how long it's been, consider the following facts about the year 1908.

1. The Life expectancy was 47 years.

2. A majority of homes were without a telephone.

3. The speed limit in cities was 10 mph.

4. Workers were paid 22 cents per hour and the average annual salary was $300.

5. Doctors did not have to attend college to practice medicine.

6. Canada had a law on the books prohibiting poor people from entering the country.

7. The U.S. flag had only 45 stars.

8. Marijuana, heroin and morphine were available over the counter.

9. The murder rate was 230 for the entire U.S.

10. There were only 16 major league teams, eight of which would become defunct, move to other cities or change their names. 
  
ON A FINAL NOTE: The Cubs' World Series victory was forecast in an early scene from the movie Back to the Future II, which came out in 1989. The screenwriters were over-optimistic, however, predicting that Chicago would win in 2015. 

World Series MVP's Before the Award Existed (Concluded)

Finishing up my examination of World Series heroes from the distant past, here are my choices for MVP from 1931 up to the inception of the Award, which was first handed out by SPORT magazine in 1955.

1931 Cardinals over A's (4-3)
MVP Pepper Martin- CF 7G 5 R 12 H 4 2B 1 HR 5 RBI .500 BA


1932 Yankees over Cubs (4-0)
MVP Lou Gehrig- 1B 4 G 9 R 1 2B 3 HR 8 RBI .529 BA .600 OBP


1933 Giants over Senators (4-1)
MVP Carl Hubbell- Pitcher (2-0) 0.00 ERA 20.1 IP 13 H 24 SO 2 CG


1934 Carinals over Tiger (4-3)
MVP Joe Medwick- LF 7 G 4 R 11 H 1 3B 1 HR 5 RBI .379 BA


1935 Tigers Over Cubs (4-2)
MVP Charlie Gehringer 6 G 4 R 9 H 3 2B 4 RBI .375 BA


1936 Yankees over Giants (4-2)
 MVP Jake Powell- LF 6 G 8 R 10 H 1 2B 1 HR 5 RBI .455 BA .538 OBP

1937 Yankees over Giants (4-1)
MVP Lefty Gomez- Pitcher (2-0) 1.50 ERA 18 IP 16 H 8 SO 2 CG

1938 Yankees over Giants (4-1)
MVP Red Ruffing- Pitcher (2-0) 1.50 ERA 18 IP 16 H 8 SO 2 CG


1939 Yankees over Reds (4-1)
MVP Charlie Keller- RF 4 G 8 R 7 H 1 2B 1 3B 3 HR 6 RBI .438 BA


1940 Reds over Tigers (4-3)
MVP Bucky Walters- Pitcher (2-0) 1.50 ERA 18 IP 8 H 6 SO 2 CG


1941 Yankees over Dodgers (4-1)
MVP Joe Gordon- 2B 5 G 2 R 7 H 1 2B 1 3B 1 HR 5 RBI .500 BA .667 OBP


1942 Cardinals over Yankees (4-1)
MVP Johnny Beazley- Pitcher (2-0) 2.50 ERA 18 IP 17 H 6 SO 2 CG


1943 Yankees over Cardinals (4-1) 
MVP Spud Chandler- Pitcher (2-0) 0.50 ERA 18 IP 17 H 10 SO 2 CG


1944 Cardinals over Browns (4-2)
MVP George McQuinn (Browns)- 1B 6 G 2 R 7 H 2 2B 1 HR 5 RBI .438 BA


1945 Tigers over Cubs (4-3)
MVP Doc Cramer- CF 7 G 7 R 11 H 4 RBI .379 BA .419 OBP


1946 Cardinals over Red Sox (4-3)
MVP Harry Brecheen- Pitcher (3-0) 0.45 ERA 20 IP 14 H 11 SO 2 CG


1947 Yankees over Dodgers (4-3)
MVP Johnny Lindell- LF 6 G 3 R 9 H 3 2B 1 3B 7 RBI .500 BA .625 OBP


1948 Indians over Red Sox (4-2)
MVP Bob Lemon- Pitcher (2-0) 1.65 ERA 16.1 IP 1 H 6 SO 1 CG


1949 Yankees over Dodgers (4-1)
MVP Allie Reynolds- Pitcher (1-0) 0.00 ERA 12.1 IP 2 H 14 SO 1 CG 1 SV


1950 Yankees over Phillies
MVP Allie Reynolds- Pitcher (1-0) 0.87 ERA 10.1 IP 7 H 7 SO 1 CG 1 SV


1951 Yankees over Giants (4-2)
MVP Eddie Lopat- Pitcher (2-0) 0.50 ERA 18 IP 10 H 4 SO 2 CG


1952 Yankees over Dodgers (4-3)
MVP Mickey Mantle- CF 7 G 10 H 1 2B 1 3B 2 HR 8 RBI .500 BA


1953 Yankees over Dodgers (4-2)
MVP Billy Martin- 2B 6 G 5 R 12 H 1 2B 2 3B 2 HR 8 RBI .500 RBI


1954 Giants over Indians (4-0)
MVP Dusty Rhodes- OF/PH 3 G 2 R 4 H 2 HR 7 RBI .667 BA 

World Series MVP's Before the Award Existed (Part I 1903-1930)

The first Word Series MVP Award was handed out in 1955 by SPORT Magazine. This means that more than fifty deserving candidates went unrecognized. Just for fun, I went back and chose Most Valuable Players from all of those long-forgotten Octobers 

1903 Boston Americans over Pittsburgh Pirates (5-3)
MVP Bill Dinneen- Pitcher (3-1) 2.06 ERA 35 IP 29 H 28 SO 4 CG

1905 Giants over A's (4-1)
MVP Christy Mathewson- Pitcher (3-0) 0.00ERA 27 IP 14 H 18 SO 3 CG

1906 White Sox over Cubs (4-2)
MVP George Rohe- 3B 6 G 2 R 7 H 1 2B 2 3B 4 RBI .333BA .440 OBP

1907 Cubs over Tigers (4-0)
MVP Harry Steinfeldt- 3B 5 G 2 R 8 H 1 2B 1 3B 2 RBI .471 BA .550 OBP

1908 Cubs over Tigers (4-1)
MVP Orval Overall- Pitcher 3 G (2-0) 0.98ERA 18.1 IP 7 H 15 SO 2 CG

1909 Pirates over Tigers (4-3)
 MVP Babe Adams- Pitcher (3-0) 1.33 ERA 27 IP 18H 11SO 3 CG

1910 A's over Cubs (4-1)
MVP Danny Murphy- RF 5 G 6 R 8 H 3 2B 1 HR 9 RBI .400 BA

1911 A's over Giants (4-2)
MVP Home Run Baker- 3B 6 G 7 R 9 H 2 2B 2 HR 5 RBI .375 BA

1912 Red Sox over Giants (4-3)
MVP Tris Speaker- CF 8 G 4 R 9 H 1 2B 2 3B 2 RBI .300 BA .382 OBP

1913 A's over Giants (4-1)
MVP Home Run Baker 5 G 2 R 9 H 1 HR 7 RBI .450 BA

1914 Braves over A's (4-0)
MVP Hank Gowdy- Cather 4 G 3 R 6 H 3 2B 1 3B 1 HR 3 RBI .545 BA

1915 Red Sox over Phillies (4-1)
MVP Duffy Lewis- LF 5 G 1 R 8 H 1 2B 1 HR 5 RBI .444 BA

1916 Red Sox over Brooklyn Robins (4-1)
 MVP Harry Hooper- RF 5 G 6 R 7 H 1 2B 1 3B 1 RBI .333 BA .417 OBP

1917 White Sox over Giants (4-2)
MVP Red Faber- Pitcher (3-1) 2.33 ERA 27 IP 21 H 9 SO 2 CG

1918 Red Sox over Cubs (4-2)
MVP Carl Mays- Pitcher 2-0 1.00 ERA 18 IP 10 H 5 SO 2 CG

1919 Reds over White Sox (SERIES FIXED)
MVP Joe Jackson (Chi)- LF 8 G 5 R 12 H 3 2B 1 HR 6 RBI .375 BA

1920 Indians over Brooklyn Robins (5-2)
MVP Stan Coveleski- Pitcher (3-0) 0.67 ERA 27 IP 15 H 8 SO 3 CG

 1921 Giants over Yankees (5-3)
MVP Irish Meusel- LF 8 G 4 R 10 H 2 2B 1 3B 1 HR 7 RBI .345 BA

1922 Giants over Yankees (4-0) 
MVP Heinie Groh- 3B 5 G 4 R 9 H .474 BA/ 6 Putouts 16 Assists 1.000 Fld %

1923 Yankees over Giants (4-2)
MVP  Babe Ruth- RF 6 G 8 R 7 H 1 2B 1 3B 3 HR 3 RBI .368 BA

1924 Senators over Giants (4-3)
MVP Goose Goslin- LF 7 G 4 R 11 H 1 2B 3 HR 7 RBI .344 BA

1925 Pirates over Senators (4-3)
MVP Max Carey- CF 7 G 6 R 11 H 4 2B 2 RBI 3 SB .458 BA .552 OBP

1926 Cardinals over Yankees (4-3)
MVP Pete Alexander- Pitcher (2-0) 1 SV 1.33 ERA 20.1 IP 12 H 17 SO

1927 Yankees over Pirates (4-0)
MVP Babe Ruth- RF 4 G 4 R 6 H 2 HR 7 RBI .400 BA .471 OBP

1928 Yankees over Cardinals (4-0)
MVP Babe Ruth- RF 4 G 9 R 10 H 3 2B 3 HR 4 RBI .625 BA

1929 A's over Cubs (4-1)
MVP Al Simmons- LF 5 G 6 R 6 H 1 2B 2 HR 5 RBI .300 BA

1930 A's over Cardinals (4-2)
MVP Al Simmons- LF 6 G 4 R 8 H 2 2B 2 HR 4 RBI .364 BA .417 OBP
 
 

EPILOGUE TO PERFECTION: How Perfect Game Pitchers Fared After Their Moment of Glory (Part II: From the Lively Ball Era to the Expansion Era)

CHARLIE ROBERTSON
April 30, 1922

Robertson's perfect game was the defining moment of a mediocre career. Facing the Tigers at Detroit, he used 90 pitches to complete his masterpiece. Six of Detroit's eight starting players posted a .300 average in 1922. Two of the most formidable, Ty Cobb and Harry Heilmann, combined for an 0-for-6 performance against Robertson that afternoon. Robertson worked with Hall of Fame catcher Ray Schalk that day. Before retiring the 27th batter of the game (pinch-hitter Johnny Bassler), the right-hander walked behind the mound and said to shortstop Eddie Mulligan: "Do you realize that little fat man up there is the only thing standing between me and a perfect game?" Too stunned to comment, Mulligan reportedly pushed Robertson back toward the mound. In his next three starts, Robertson gave up 11 runs in 22 innings. During his eight seasons in the majors, he never finished a season with a .500 record.


DON LARSEN
October 8, 1956

Larsen's perfect game is still the only one ever thrown during a World Series. It could not have happened on a grander stage as 64,000 fans streamed into Yankee Stadium that day to watch an epic showdown against the Dodgers. Larsen used 97 pitches and struck out 7. According to Yogi Berra, he didn't shake off a single sign all afternoon. The 2-0 win gave the Yankees a 3-2 Series lead. Larsen's opponents included Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Gil Hodges. Larsen, who led the AL with 21 losses for the Orioles in 1954, never started more than 20 games in a season while wearing a Yankee uniform. After his postseason perfecto, he didn't appear in a regular season game until April 20 of the following year. He was pulled from that game after facing five batters in the fifth inning and allowing 3 runs. His relief, Bob Turley, walked in another run. Larsen posted a 10-4 record in '57 with an unimpressive 3.74 ERA. He finished his career with a .471 winning percentage. Sportswriter Shirley Povich once remarked: "Don Larsen used to pitch so slow it ought to have been equipped with backup lights."   

JIM BUNNING
June 21, 1964

Bunning was a Hall of Famer and seven-time All-Star who won at least 15 games on eight occasions. When he retired, he was second on the all time strikeout list behind Walter Johnson. Prior to his perfect game, he had tossed a no-hitter against the Red Sox in 1958. With Ted Williams and Jackie Jensen in the lineup, it was no ordinary feat. But Bunning's gem in '64 came practically gift-wrapped. After losing 231 games in '62 and '63, Casey Stengel's "Amazin' Mets" dropped 109 more games in '64. Six of the players Bunning faced that day were hitting below .230. In his next outing, Bunning gave up 11 hits and 4 runs to the Cardinals during a seven-inning stint. He followed with three quality starts, finishing the season at 19-8 with a 2.63 ERA. He averaged 17 wins per year between 1957 and 1967. After his retirement, he became the only major-leaguer ever elected to Congress.  

SANDY KOUFAX
September 9, 1965

Most people have heard Koufax's story--how he overcame chronic wildness after catcher Norm Sherry suggested he loosen his grip on the ball during spring training of 1961. Entering that season, Koufax carried a sub-.500 lifetime won/loss record. Upon making the simple adjustment, he quickly became the most dominant pitcher in the game. Koufax threw four no-hitters during his career and his perfect game did not come on a silver platter. The Cubs had Hall of Famers Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ernie Banks in the lineup. The Dodgers had an anemic offense in '65, staking Koufax to two runs or less in 13 of his appearances. Koufax's perfect game set records for fewest hits (1) and baserunners (3) by both teams. The only Dodger run was unearned. When staff mate Don Drysdale (who was away from the team at the time) heard about Koufax's perfect game, he famously quipped "Who won?" In his next seven appearances, Koufax allowed just 7 earned runs in 45 innings. He was MVP of the '65 World Series against the Twins, winning two games while averaging close to 11 strikeouts per 9 innings. Painful arthritis forced him into early retirement after the '66 campaign.