Has any pitcher thrown 2 perfect games? This question has intrigued baseball fans for decades, as the perfect game is one of the most elusive and remarkable achievements in the sport. The perfect game is defined as a game in which a pitcher faces a minimum of 27 batters without allowing any to reach base, either through hits, walks, or errors. To date, only a select few pitchers have achieved this extraordinary feat, and the debate over whether any pitcher has thrown two perfect games continues to rage among baseball enthusiasts.
The first perfect game in Major League Baseball (MLB) history was thrown by Don Larsen of the New York Yankees on October 8, 1956, against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series. This historic achievement has since been matched by only 22 other pitchers, with the most recent perfect game thrown by Dallas Keuchel of the Houston Astros on April 12, 2015. However, the question of whether any pitcher has thrown two perfect games remains unanswered.
Several pitchers have come close to throwing a second perfect game, but have ultimately fallen short. One of the most notable examples is Jim Bunning, who threw a perfect game for the Philadelphia Phillies on June 21, 1964. However, his second attempt, on June 30, 1981, ended with a single hit by the Montreal Expos, thus denying him the distinction of having thrown two perfect games.
Another pitcher who has been the subject of much debate is Randy Johnson. The former Cy Young Award winner threw a perfect game on May 18, 2004, for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Atlanta Braves. However, his first perfect game came on May 28, 1990, for the San Francisco Giants against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This has led some to argue that Randy Johnson actually threw two perfect games, but others maintain that since he did not throw the second perfect game in the same season as the first, he cannot be credited with two perfect games.
The rarity of the perfect game and the debate over whether any pitcher has thrown two perfect games add to the mystique of the achievement. While the answer to the question may never be definitively resolved, it is clear that the perfect game remains one of the most cherished and celebrated moments in baseball history. As the sport continues to evolve, the possibility of another pitcher throwing two perfect games remains a topic of fascination and discussion among fans and experts alike.
