Perfect Games In Mlb History

Perfect games in MLB history are so few and far between that only twenty pitchers have ever attained the feat. While the no-hitter is also considerd to be quite an accomplishment, it is nowhere near as rare as Nolan Ryan's record. He holds seven no-hitters over the course of his career but has never managed to throw a perfect game. Of all the perfect games in MLB history, eleven of the twenty occurred after 1980.

1. Lee Richmond, June 12, 1880 - Richmond's performance makes the list of best perfect games in MLB history because it was the first recorded perfect game. Richmond threw a complete game for the long defunct Worcester Ruby Legs in 1880 against the then Cleveland Spiders, winning the game 1-0.
2. Monte Ward, June 17, 1880 - Ward managed his perfect game just five days after Lee Richmond threw the first of all perfect games in MLB history. Ward led Providence to a 5-0 victory over Buffalo.
3. Cy Young, May 5, 1904 - A pitcher so good that the award for best pitcher of the year is now named after him, he still only has one of the perfect games in MLB history. Young lead his Boston team to a 3-0 victory over Philadelphia.
4. Dallas Braden, May 9, 2010 - Braden's pefect game makes it as one of the best perfect games in MLB history because the rest of his season was so unspectacular. Despite mowing down Tampa 4-0, Braden managed just a 10-14 record for the 2010 season.
5. Roy Halladay, May 29, 2010 - While perfect games in MLB history are rare, there were two just twenty days apart in 2010. Halladay's perfect game was in the middle of a season in which he posted 21 wins and threw a no-hitter in his team's first post season contest.
6. Randy Johnson, May 18, 2004 - Johnson's perfect game makes the list of best perfect games in MLB history because his broke a streak of five straight years without a perfect game. It was also the crowning jewel in what was a remarkable career for the big lefthander.
7. Mark Buehrle, July 23, 2009 - Buehrle makes the list of best perfect games in MLB history because he snapped a ten year drought of perfect games in the American League. Despite throwing the perfect game, Buehrle's numbers in 2009 were quite pedestrian winning just thirteen games against ten losses.
8. Don Larsen, October 8, 1956 - Larsen is the only pitcher who has thrown a perfect game in the postseason, posting a 2-0 New York victory over Brooklyn in Game five of the 1956 World Series. Larsen's perfect game is incidentally one of just five of the twenty that occurred after July.
9. Len Barker, May 15, 1981 - Len Barker's game makes the best perfect games in MLB history because of Barker's completely unimpressive career record. Barker finished his career just 74-76 and pitched for four different teams in an eleven-year career.
10. Tom Browning, September 16, 1988 - Browning's perfect game snapped a 23 year drought for the National League. Browning's perfect game was a 1-0 victory over the Dodgers.