19th perfect game in history

[mhendo]

@StusBlues

To John T’s point, I can think of two things.

One is expansion–there are simply more games played in recent seasons because there are more teams, and thus a greater likelihood of perfect games happening.

The increase in games might explain an increase in the absolute number of perfect games, but it does not, by itself, explain the increasing percentage of perfect games.

According to Baseball Reference, there has been a total of 391,362 games played in the Major Leagues since 1876. We know that there has been a total of 19 perfect games, giving us, over the history of the Major Leagues, one PG for every 20,598 games.

But, in the period since the start of 1991, we have 7 PGs. According to my calculations, there have been 44,845 games played since the start of the 1991 season (including post-season games). So, over these last two decades, the rate for PGs is one every 6406 games.

Therefore, in the period 1876-1990, there were 12 PGs in 346,517 games, giving a rate of one every 28,876 games.

Based on all this, we can see that, in the period 1991-2010, the rate of PGs (on a total games per PG basis) is more than 4 times the rate for the period 1876-1990.

So, there’s little doubt that John T’s observation about the rate of PGs increasing is true. The question, though, is whether we can offer any meaningful explanation for this shift. John T suggests steroids, but not only does that fail to take into account the arguments i offered in my previous post, it also neglects the fact that batters have also been taking steroids, and the last 20 years has seen some of the biggest offensive seasons in baseball history.

@StusBlues

The other is the emphasis on “power” vs. “punch” hitting. Increasingly, every hitter in the lineup is swinging for the fences. You don’t see much of the Nellie Fox/Phil Rizzuto just-get-on-base mentality anymore; most everyone is looking for some offense in one at bat. I’m not complaining, mind you, and this type of mindset may well be more effective overall, but if everyone is begging off of marginal pitches looking for the home run (or at least well-driven) ball, you’re more likely to see strings of 27 outs as well as 15-run games.

I’m not really convinced by this argument either.

I guess you could make a case for or against it by looking closely at figures like overall OBP, strikeout rates, BABIP rates, park factors, etc., etc., and seeing how they have changed over the years, but i don’t have the time or the technical skill to factor in all these variables.

While the increase in the number of PGs over the past two decades is noticeable, i’m still not convinced that 7 Perfect Games out of 45,000 (actually, out of 90,000 if we remember that there are two starting pitchers per game) is enough to be statistically significant.

[JohnT]

Just FYI, I’m a casual baseball observer/fan. I threw out “steroids” as it is the typical response as to why any records were broken since then.

[RickJay]

@JohnT

It seems to me that the incidences of perfect games (PG’s) has actually increased over the past 20 years, with 7 of 19 PG’s coming since 1991 (1/3rd of all PG’s, or one every 2.7 seasons). Previous to that there were 12 PG’s in an 111 year span, or about 1 per decade.

More steroids at work?

There are more teams than there used to be, for one thing, so you would expect unusual things to happen more often now. There are twice as many games every year now as there were from 1901 to 1968.

Beyond that it’s likely just a fluke that there have been more recently.

[HoboStew]

Speaking of unwritten rules (and what a comeback to ARod’s moronic comment about being called out by someone with a handful of wins), what about Longoria trying to bunt for a hit in the 5th? I’m not all that opposed to the tactic as a general rule, but Longoria is one of the best hitters in the game. I can see a #8 or 9 hitter pulling that crap, but do you think Albert Pujols would try that in a million years? I lost a bit of respect for the guy, personally.

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

Wasn’t there another unusual event in this game, where the ump and the pitcher were exchanging balls and they hit each other in mid-air during said exchange?

That’s as likely as a pitcher exploding a bird!

[TheBoltEater]

@HoboStew

Speaking of unwritten rules (and what a comeback to ARod’s moronic comment about being called out by someone with a handful of wins), what about Longoria trying to bunt for a hit in the 5th? I’m not all that opposed to the tactic as a general rule, but Longoria is one of the best hitters in the game. I can see a #8 or 9 hitter pulling that crap, but do you think Albert Pujols would try that in a million years? I lost a bit of respect for the guy, personally.

As a Padres fan, I remember quite clearly the furor caused by Ben Davis bunting for a single against Curt Schilling and the Diamondbacks when he had a perfect game going. The D-Backs manager went nuts in the press about it, but the Padres pointed out that it was a 2-0 game and they were, you know, still trying to win. As for Longoria, it was 4-0 when he bunted, but it was still only the 5th inning. I don’t claim to be an expert on the subject, but the 5th (it seems to me) is still too early for anyone to be worrying about a perfect game/no-hitter. If ESPN hasn’t even mentioned it yet, much less cut into regularly scheduled programming to show it, I don’t think it’s a big deal.

And as for A-Rod, I have yet to hear anyone answer this question. While I, for one, never heard of the “Don’t run across the mound” rule, I can also truthfully say that in my entire life I have never seen anyone do it in a MLB game. Has anyone here ever actually seen a player run across the mound? If not, then it probably is an unwritten rule.

[HoboStew]

I read an ESPN article with several hall of fame (or close to) pitchers, iirc it was Steve Palmer, Burt Blyleven, and a couple others. They all said that they never heard of the “dont run on the mound” thing, so I am willing to concede that Braden may have overstated things (full disclosure - A’s fan speaking here), even though I can’t remember anyone ever doing that either. But Arod could have just said “sorry” and ended everything, instead he acted like a total jackass, as usual. Notice how nobody on the yankees ever stands up for him? He is the new Bonds.

As for Longoria, sure it was the 5th inning and it was too early to be worrying about perfect games and whatnot, but he is their cleanup hitter, as well as a top hitter in baseball, and that just isn’t something that an elite talent should be doing, IMO.

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

@HoboStew

As for Longoria, sure it was the 5th inning and it was too early to be worrying about perfect games and whatnot, but he is their cleanup hitter, as well as a top hitter in baseball, and that just isn’t something that an elite talent should be doing, IMO.

Why not? A surprise bunt from just such a hitter is a wonderful tactic, especially against an infield shift. You have to get runners on base to score, no?

I hate the fact that small ball gets overshadowed sometimes or in this instance, is considered tantamount to cheating. It isn’t. The object is to win. Bunting is useful.

[Yllaria]

The local take on it, if you’re interested.

“I’ve got eight guys behind me making plays, and this definitely is not mine. It’s ours,” Braden said. “The defensive play has been nothing short of spectacular during my time here, and to have them once again show up and go above and beyond is more than a guy like me can ask for.”

Sounds like he’s got perspective on it. And dedicating a perfect game to his Mom and Grandma . . . on Mother’s Day . . . that’s just cool.

[HoboStew]

@FoieGrasIsEvil

You have to get runners on base to score, no?

With someone like Longoria, no. Again, I don’t think its a bad move for everyone. I think its a bad move for an elite hitter, which he clearly is.

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

@HoboStew

With someone like Longoria, no. Again, I don’t think its a bad move for everyone. I think its a bad move for an elite hitter, which he clearly is.

But why? Again, a surprise bunt from just such a hitter is an unexpected and effective move to get himself on base if used appropriately and sparingly.

[HoboStew]

Unexpected, yes. Effective, :dubious:. I’m sure the stat-heads can break down the expected return on a bunt attempt versus an elite hitter taking his hacks leading off an inning. Its possible that they were better off, but personally I doubt it. Especially considering that these types of hitters don’t bunt much and arent especially good at it, as evidenced by Longoria fouling his off and thus giving up a strike in the process, which resulted in a strikeout.

[garygnu]

To me, you can’t really say a guy “broke up a no-hitter with a bunt” if it’s in the fifth inning.

[mhendo]

@garygnu

To me, you can’t really say a guy “broke up a no-hitter with a bunt” if it’s in the fifth inning.

Yeah, this is pretty much my take on it.

I’m on record in previous threads arguing that there’s nothing wrong with a bunt to break up a no-hitter anyway. The batter’s main job, as a professional baseball player, is not to make an out. If he thinks the best way to do that is to bunt, then that’s what he should do.

But, even if you disagree with that, and believe that there’s something wrong with breaking up a no-hitter with a bunt, it’s still pretty silly, in my opinion, to make such an evaluation as early as the 5th inning. In the 8th or 9th, maybe; but not the 5th.

[Ol_Gaffer]

@garygnu

To me, you can’t really say a guy “broke up a no-hitter with a bunt” if it’s in the fifth inning.

Yeah, I’m the biggest A’s homer there is and this would be my take on it as well. I wouldn’t even begrudge Crawford or Bartlett trying this later in the game since it’s part of their regular repetoire.

I thought it was nice, though, that Kapler swung at a 3-1 pitch with two outs in the 9th. In any other situation, he’s probably taking the pitch trying to work the walk but, at that point, he’s swinging away. Shows some respect for the game.

[Crawlspace]

@HoboStew

But Arod could have just said “sorry” and ended everything, instead he acted like a total jackass, as usual.

He had nothing to apologize for. He thought it was funny that a near rookie had the balls to school a veteran on the unwritten rules and respect for the game over an issue no one ever makes an issue of.

@HoboStew

Notice how nobody on the yankees ever stands up for him? He is the new Bonds.

From the article titled Yank’s Back A-Rod in Dispute With A’s

A-Rod wasn’t alone, since it was a source of humor among the Yankees, who entered Friday with an 11-4 record. Once Braden’s comments circulated, “We had fun with it,” Teixeira said. “We’ve been laughing about it since.”

But was there a code violation by A-Rod?

“If Alex had charged the mound and started pummeling the guy, yes, he would’ve crossed the line,” said Teixeira, who guessed that a runner’s incidental mound cross happens hundreds of times during a season. “Trying to hurt somebody is totally different than stepping across some imaginary line.”

As a pitcher, Joba Chamberlain doesn’t feel that a quick, head-down jog across the mound is any sort of offense. It would only become an issue “if a guy starts kicking at the [mound] dirt,” or otherwise making “a big deal about it,” Chamberlain said.

“I don’t think Alex was trying to do anything malicious, or trying to send a message. … The shortest distance between two points is a straight line,” said manager Joe Girardi, who chalked up the entire matter to the players’ “competitive spirit.”

Bolding mine.

[Crawlspace]

@garygnu

To me, you can’t really say a guy “broke up a no-hitter with a bunt” if it’s in the fifth inning.

Pretty much. I don’t consider a pitcher to have a no-hitter in progress until they’ve faced the line up twice.

[TheBoltEater]

@Crawlspace

He had nothing to apologize for. He thought it was funny that a near rookie had the balls to school a veteran on the unwritten rules and respect for the game over an issue no one ever makes an issue of.

No one?

David Wells thinks he’s full of it

“A-Rod is full of (bleep), that he never heard of that,’’ Wells told The Post from San Diego. “He has been around the game long enough to know that.”

"I hated it when runners did that. I yelled at plenty of them,’’ Wells said. “It’s one thing to cross in the front of the mound before it goes up, but on top of it, that’s wrong. The cleats (mess) up the mound. Pitchers don’t go in front of fielders and put their spikes in the dirt.

“I totally agree (with Braden) ‘Get off my mound.’ I would have done the same thing with A-Rod, or anybody else. (Bleep) it."

Wells said he would even call out Jeter but explained there is a difference between what somebody like Jeter or Bernie Williams would hear than what would pierce Rodriguez’s ears.

“I would yell at Jeter. There are certain guys you would mother (bleep) and certain guys you would give a little more courtesy to, guys like Jeter and Bernie," Wells said. “A-Rod is not a well-liked guy.”

I can’t seem to find a video of A-Fraud’s postgame interview that day, but here’s a glowing review of his act…

From MLBToday.net

Some people just aren’t good liars. Some people you can tell are lying. Some people can’t help but lie. Some people love lying for whatever reason.

Alex Rodriguez covers all of the above.

…I don’t care whether or not that’s etiquette. It’s the post game joke of an interview that A-Rod gave that I’m focused on. When approached by reporters after the game, A-Rod played it dumb

A-Rod, you are a pathological liar. Admit it.

…………Oh wait, you never would.

Rodriguez didn’t “think it was funny.” He just played stupid to the press.

[Crawlspace]

@TheBoltEater

No one?

David Wells thinks he’s full of it

Cite an instance when Wells, as a player, made an issue of someone crossing his mound and you’ll have a point. Wells is a drunken loudmouth. His explanation doesn’t even make sense – it’s much more dangerous for damage to be done at the front of the mound, where a pitcher is liable to role an ankle or knee, than the back where the pitcher ambles to get rosin.

@TheBoltEater

I can’t seem to find a video of A-Fraud’s postgame interview that day, but here’s a glowing review of his act…

That’s a nice link to a blog entry, but if you want to post opinion it should be your own.

[Munch]

@Crawlspace

His explanation doesn’t even make sense – it’s much more dangerous for damage to be done at the front of the mound, where a pitcher is liable to role an ankle or knee, than the back where the pitcher ambles to get rosin.

He never mentioned the back. He mentioned the front and the top (the top being the part where the pitcher spends a fair amount of time adjusting the dirt to suit his footing).