Don Larsen, Felix Hernández, Randy Johnson add northwest ties to group of pitchers that reached perfection

Jun. 30—The Pacific Northwest has strong ties to three of the 24 perfect games thrown in the history of Major League Baseball — those by Felix Hernandez, Randy Johnson and Don Larsen.

No-hitters are complete games in which a team or individual pitcher yields no hits to the opposing team. A perfect game is classified as an entire game in which a team or individual pitcher allows zero baserunners; in other words, retiring all 27 batters faced.

Typically, no-hitters are a rare occurrence in baseball. MLB has recognized 319 no-hitters since 1876. Only 24 of those no-hitters are perfect games.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Domingo Germán's joined the club during a 11-0 win over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday. Following that historic outing, here's a look at every perfect game with Northwest flavor.

Germán threw the first perfect game in 11 years, following Seattle Mariners great Hernández's gem on Aug. 15, 2012, at then-Safeco Field in Seattle.

Hernández pitched for the Mariners for 15 seasons, accumulating 2,524 strikeouts in 418 starts with a combined earned-run average of 3.42. Hernández was a six-time All-Star and won the American League Cy Young Award in 2010.

His perfect game in 2012 exemplified how dominant Hernández could be on the mound. He threw 113 pitches and struck out 12 in a 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Hernández is considered one of the elite pitchers of the 2000s. His perfect game in his eighth MLB season solidified that standing.

Hall of Fame left-hander Johnson may be the most well-known pitcher of the three to throw a perfect games with a Northwest connection. Johnson was considered one of the most intimidating to play in the major leagues. Johnson's 6-foot-10, 225-pound frame allowed him to dominate the league for the majority of his 22-year career.

Johnson played for six teams in his career but spent the most time with the Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks. In 10 seasons with Seattle, he won 130 games and had 51 complete games .

Johnson caught on with the Mariners after a two-year stint with the Montreal Expos. He struck out 2,162 and had a 3.42 earned-run average in Seattle. He threw his first career no-hitter in 1990 while playing for the Mariners but was unable to achieve perfection until later in his career.

Johnson was a five-time MLB All-Star in Seattle, winning the Cy Young in 1995. After leaving Seattle, Johnson's success continued with five more All-Star selections.

He won four consecutive Cy Young Awards from 1999 to 2002 in Arizona. His five Cy Young awards are the second most in baseball history. He struck out 4,875 in his career, which is also second most in history, behind Nolan Ryan.

While his list of accolades is lengthy, Johnson had his best game on May 18, 2004. Johnson retired all 27 hitters in a 2-0 Arizona victory against the Atlanta Braves and became the oldest pitcher to throw a perfect game at 40 years old. He also threw the third-most strikeouts of any perfect game with 13.

The most significant perfect game in MLB history belongs to New York Yankees pitcher Larsen in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Larsen's outing is the only perfect game to be thrown in a playoff game.

Unlike Hernandez and Johnson, Larsen was not an elite pitcher during his time in MLB. He finished his career 81-91. In the season before being traded to New York, Larsen posted a 3-21 record for the Baltimore Orioles.

Larsen was chased from Game 2 of the 1956 World Series after two innings. The Yankees lost after allowing 13 runs. Larsen did not expect another start in the series, but due to Larsen's stretch delivery, Yankees manager Casey Stengel planned to throw off the Dodgers lineup with Larsen in Game 5.

It paid off and 27 batters later, Larsen became the only pitcher to achieve perfection in the World Series. Larsen was humble in the aftermath, giving most of the credit to catcher Yogi Berra.

Larsen struck out seven batters en route to the most impactful pitching performance witnessed.

Larsen was born and raised in Michigan City, Indiana. After his pro career was over, Larsen moved to Hayden, where he would spend his remaining 25 years . Retired Spokane attorney Tom Keefe became close friends with Larsen and acted as his caretaker in Larsen's final months.

"Fishing. He came for the fishing," Keefe said. "He loved to fish. Pacific Northwest salmon is both what brought him here and brought him and me together."

Keefe had high praise for Larsen and his efforts on the diamond.

"He was raised on baseball and had such a strong passion for the game," Keefe said. "He would have played 12 months of the year if he could."

Larsen may have had more success as a professional if he focused on his fitness, Keefe said.

"He was down at the end of the dugout smoking a cigarette in between innings. At 6-4, 235 pounds with a 39-inch vertical, I think if Don Larsen would have concentrated and given the same level of intensity throughout his career that he did in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series, he would now be known as the greatest pitcher the game has ever seen," Keefe said.

Many pitchers have come close to pitching a perfect game.

Mt. Spokane graduate Drew Rasmussen had a recent near-perfect outing in 2022, when the Tampa Bay Rays starter tossed eight perfect innings before Baltimore's Jorge Mateo doubled on the first pitch of the ninth.

Liam Bradford's reporting is part of the Teen Journalism Institute, funded by Bank of America with support from the Innovia Foundation.