Perfect Games Hypotheticals

The Game Room
1

So what better place than the Straight Dope to bring up “crucial” hypotheticals, which will almost certainly never occur but should be settled before they (never) happen.

Basic premise in all situations. Home pitcher is throwing a perfect game, but his teams have scored no runs and it’s now the top of the tenth. Under the current (stupid) rules, the inning starts with a runner on second.

Does this end the perfect game as there is a runner on base? I’d say no. Pitcher did not permit a runner to reach base. Assuming not then

a) First batter grounds into a fielder’s choice. So now the pitcher did “permit” a runner to reach base. Does this end the perfect game?

b) First batter grounds out to second runner advances to third. Second batter hits a sacrifice fly. Third batter strikes out. Home team is retired with no score. Does the pitcher have a perfect game and a loss?

2

This happened in a minor league game in 2018, and was ruled as ending the perfect game.

However, last year, when the rule was first implemented in the majors, MLB VP Cory Schwartz clarified that, “Auto-runners don’t count against a perfect game or no-hitter.”

I’m not sure about the fielder’s choice question, but I suspect that it wouldn’t change the ruling, if the above is true.