White Sox starting pitcher Philip Humber has thrown the 21st perfect game in major-league history (20th in regular-season history).
He dominated the Mariners in an incredibly efficient performance, as he only needed 96 pitches to complete the gem. He struck out nine, while inducing five groundouts and 13 flyouts.
The last out was a close one. Pinch hitter Brendan Ryan worked Humber to a 3-2 count. The pitch was low and outside and certainly would have been ball four. Ryan started his swing and attempted to check it. It was really close, but home plate umpire Brian Runge called it a swing. The game wasn't completed yet, though, because the ball had gotten away from catcher A.J. Pierzynski. He threw to first base to officially record the 27th and final out of Humber's gem.
Humber is perfect |
Humber, 29, had never thrown a complete game in his career. His career high in innings pitched for one game was 7 2/3 innings prior to Saturday, so he ventured into uncharted territory in making history.
There have only been 21 perfect games in major-league history, including Don Larson's World Series perfecto. The most recent perfect game came from Roy Halladay on May 29, 2010. Humber becomes the third White Sox pitcher to toss a perfect game, after Charlie Robertson (1922) and Mark Buehrle (2009).
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