Synopses & Reviews
Among baseball achievements, the perfect game—one in which no runners reach base—remains the greatest. Though many have come close, only 20 pitchers have achieved such perfection in more than a century of baseball. This exhaustive compendium examines the fascinating story behind every perfect game and uncovers details both great and small, illuminating the majesty of these titanic achievements. The faithfully narrated record of all 20 games—punctuated by statistics, trivia, little-known anecdotes, and personal memories from both witnesses and the pitchers themselves—gets inside the minds of the players who made baseball history. In addition to profiling some of the games greatest pitchers, such as Cy Young, Sandy Koufax, and Randy Johnson, or others including Charley Robertson who had otherwise unremarkable careers, this updated edition features new chapters devoted to Dallas Braden, Mark Buehrle, and Roy Halladay, the three latest pitchers to throw a perfect game, and a comprehensive appendix profiles several pitchers who almost achieved perfection.
Synopsis
Among baseball achievements, the perfect game--one in which no runners reach base--remains the greatest. Though many have come close, only 20 pitchers have achieved such perfection in more than a century of baseball. This exhaustive compendium examines the fascinating story behind every perfect game and uncovers details both great and small, illuminating the majesty of these titanic achievements. The faithfully narrated record of all 20 games--punctuated by statistics, trivia, little-known anecdotes, and personal memories from both witnesses and the pitchers themselves--gets inside the minds of the players who made baseball history. In addition to profiling some of the game's greatest pitchers, such as Cy Young, Sandy Koufax, and Randy Johnson, or others including Charley Robertson who had otherwise unremarkable careers, this updated edition features new chapters devoted to Dallas Braden, Mark Buehrle, and Roy Halladay, the three latest pitchers to throw a perfect game, and a comprehensive appendix profiles several pitchers who almost achieved perfection.
Synopsis
Only 17 pitchers in the past 124 years have completed the most rare feat in all of sports—the perfect game. Each perfect game is examined individually with firsthand accounts from the pitcher, his teammates, opponents, coaches, managers, and sportswriters who were there that day. In addition to the 17 record setters, Buckley has researched all the other pitchers who were one pitch from history. Randy Johnson's no-hitter for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2004 completes this examination of the 17 unforgettable games.
About the Author
James Buckley Jr., is the editorial director of the Shoreline Publishing Group and the author of more than 25 books on baseball and other sports, including Baseball: A Celebration, Play Ball: The Official Major League Baseball Guide for Young Players, and The Visual Dictionary of Baseball. He formerly worked at both Sports Illustrated and NFL Publishing and hosted a sports interview radio show in Santa Barbara. He lives in Santa Barbara, California. Jim Bunning is a former Hall of Fame Major League Baseball pitcher and US Senator from Kentucky.