Only 21, Roki Sasaki Has Already Done the Unprecedented
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Image credit: Roki Sasaki (Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images)
The world is going to get a better look at Japanese righthander Roki Sasaki this week with the beginning of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and most likely they are going to be amazed.
He’s incredibly talented, and as a 21-year-old, his best days are hopefully still ahead of him.
But if Sasaki’s career ended today (and let’s hope he has well over a decade of impressive pitching to come), I would argue he’s already pulled off one of the greatest feats in baseball history.
You may be aware that Sasaki threw a perfect game last year. Even in the rarefied air of perfect games it was especially dominant. Sasaki struck out 19 of the 27 batters he faced. Only two balls left the infield and Sasaki dominated with just two pitches (his fastball and splitter). It was one of the best pitched games you’ll ever see.
Hitters were helpless. What do you do when a pitcher can dot the zone with a 100 mph fastball, and then as you gear up to hit that heater, you find he’s thrown a 90 mph splitter that falls off the table?
Sasaki threw his low-90s splitter 35 times in that game. Only six were balls. Of his splitter’s 29 strikes, 21 were swings and misses.
It was a completely dominating perfect game, one of the best pitched games you’ll ever see. That’s what perfect games are, a day when a pitcher is at the upper limit of their ability. No-hitters can be the sign of a pitcher’s dominance, but perfect games require something more, as one walk, one hit batter or even one error can destroy them. Nolan Ryan threw seven no-hitters, but he never threw a perfect game.
But what is not getting enough notice is what Sasaki did the next time out. A week later, Sasaki faced Hokkaido. This time, Sasaki faced 24 batters. He retired all 24 and struck out 14. With the game tied 0-0 after eight innings, Chiba Lotte manager Tadahito Iguchi went to the bullpen.
Chiba Lotte ended up losing the game in the 10th, but Sasaki left unblemished. Only the team’s care for the arm of the best 20-year-old pitcher in the world kept him from going back out to try to complete back-to-back perfect games.
Sasaki had also retired the last batter he faced in his previous start on April 3 on a strikeout. He did give up a single on the first pitch of his game on April 17, proving he is human.
But over a stretch of 52 batters, Sasaki picked up 52 outs. That’s six batters better than the longest perfect streak by any pitcher in Major League Baseball history.
Yusmeiro Petit’s MLB-record 46-batter streak came over a series of brief relief appearances. Sasaki followed up a perfect game with eight innings of perfection for 51 batters faced and 51 batters retired in back-to-back starts.
I’m sure you realize how remarkable that is without me needing to explain it. But I’m guessing you’re probably not fully aware how rare it is.
The history of perfect games is an imperfect one when you dig deeper into the upper levels of baseball. We know with absolute certainty how many perfect games have been thrown in the major leagues (27, although two of them came before the merger of the American and National leagues in 1903). Similarly, we know there have been 17 perfect games in the Nippon Professional Baseball League. Across other national professional leagues, we can be reasonably certain of the count. Italy has had four perfect games. Honkbal in the Netherlands has had four as well. Taiwan’s CPBL has had just one. Korea’s KBO is still waiting for its first. In the history of Cuba’s Serie Nacional there’s been one.
But even when you get to the minor leagues in the U.S., some statistical humility is required. The term perfect game wasn’t even invented until after some perfect games had been thrown.
We can find records for 80 perfect games in the affiliated minor leagues as well as the Mexican League.
When you go further, and try to include all the perfect games in college baseball, those records become even sketchier. The NCAA has records of 19 nine-inning perfect games in Division I and 10 in Division II since 1957 (the first year for which the NCAA has records). The NCAA does not keep records of Division III perfect games.
The NAIA has records for 24 perfect games. Well, it actually has records for 26, but I’ll explain the discrepancy in a minute.
So scanning as far as we can find, we can come up with records for 180 perfect games at the upper levels of baseball since 1903.
In no way am I comfortable in saying that those are all the perfect games that have ever occurred in men’s professional baseball around the world, or at the major college level. In fact, I feel comfortable saying there’s a perfect game out there somewhere that I’m missing, and we’ll probably find it, or a couple, that will be sent to me after we publish this story.
But doing the best due diligence I can, that comes to 180 perfect games. And do you know how many pitchers have thrown two of those 180 perfect games?
Zero.
I’m not saying that no one has ever thrown two perfect games in the majors (no one has). I’m not saying that no one has ever thrown two perfect games in college baseball (no one has).
I’m saying that with the best records we can find, we can’t find an example of anyone who has ever thrown two perfect games in their career between all the many, many upper levels of the game.
No one has thrown a perfect game in college baseball and then gone on to throw one in the minors. No one ever spun a perfect game in the minors and then went on to do it in the majors. No collegian then headed to Italy and threw a perfect game in Serie A1. No one threw a perfect game in an NAIA game and then followed it up with one in the Northwest League.
I can’t find anyone who has thrown two nine-inning perfect games, period.
That does require a little bit of explaining. The NAIA actually lists Southeastern Oklahoma’s Denney Crabaugh as having thrown two perfect games.
Crabaugh is now a very successful head coach at Oklahoma City. He’s won an NAIA national title and has won over 1,500 games. But his coaching bio lists him as having thrown two no-hitters, not perfect games. A quick check with Crabaugh confirmed that. He explained that both were no-hitters but not perfect games, and neither went nine innings.
So that wiped out the one example I could find of the only man with two career perfect games.
But we’re not done. Because while I could not find any examples of a man doing it across more than a century of baseball, I did find one example of a woman doing it in the brief 12-year history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Jean Faut is arguably the best pitcher in the history of the AAGPBL. She passed away on Feb. 28 at the age of 98. In addition to posting a career 1.23 ERA, she threw two of the league’s five perfect games. She threw one in 1951 and then added another in 1953. That means, as best I can determine, she is the only pitcher to throw two career perfect games at the upper levels of the sport.
She may get company one day. Sasaki is only 21.
ALL-TIME PERFECT GAMES
Here is, as best we can determine, every nine-inning or longer perfect game that has been thrown in the professional leagues in the U.S., Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Cuba, Mexico, Italy and the Netherlands, as well as perfect games from four-year college baseball leagues in the U.S. and the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The sources are MLB, NPB, the CPBL, the Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, the NCAA, the NAIA and SABR, as well as Serie A1 and Honkbal’s official sites.
League |
Year |
Player |
Team |
MLB |
1904 |
Boston |
|
MiLB |
1906 |
Irv Wilhelm |
Birmingham |
MiLB |
1906 |
Shreveport |
|
MiLB |
1907 |
Charles Evans |
Hartford |
MiLB |
1907 |
Sacramento |
|
MiLB |
1907 |
Independence |
|
MiLB |
1908 |
Ivan Loos |
Danville |
MLB |
1908 |
Cleveland |
|
MiLB |
1909 |
Buffalo |
|
MiLB |
1909 |
Chief Williams |
Newton |
MiLB |
1909 |
Urban Faber |
Dubuque |
MiLB |
1910 |
Cy Dalhgren |
Superior |
MiLB |
1910 |
Jack Northrop |
Reading |
MiLB |
1916 |
Nashville |
|
MiLB |
1917 |
Little Rock |
|
MiLB |
1920 |
Drumwright |
|
MiLB |
1921 |
Clarence Brown |
Ludington |
MiLB |
1922 |
Thomas Gheen |
Winston-Salem |
MLB |
1922 |
Chicago (AL) |
|
MiLB |
1923 |
Eddie Steinman |
Mt. Pleasant |
MiLB |
1923 |
Randolph Young |
Bloomington |
MiLB |
1924 |
Walter Jacoway |
Daranelles |
MiLB |
1925 |
Herman Schwartz |
Bloomington |
MiLB |
1926 |
Raymond Starr |
Danville |
MiLB |
1935 |
Eddie Cole |
Galveston |
MiLB |
1935 |
Longview |
|
MiLB |
1937 |
Ed Tantillo |
Dover |
MiLB |
1941 |
Charley Welchel |
Biog Spring |
MiLB |
1943 |
Scranton |
|
AAGPBL |
1944 |
Anabelle Lee |
Minneapolis |
AAGPBL |
1945 |
Carolyn Morris |
Rockford |
MiLB |
1947 |
Carl DeRose |
Kansas City |
MiLB |
1947 |
Mel Nee |
Miami |
AAGPBL |
1947 |
Doris Sams |
Muskegon |
MiLB |
1948 |
Buddy Lake |
Sanford |
MiLB |
1948 |
Hot Springs |
|
MiLB |
1949 |
Bob Heffernan |
Pensacola |
MiLB |
1950 |
Harry Clark |
Dothan |
MiLB |
1950 |
Higgins Duncan |
Douglas |
MiLB |
1950 |
James Pomykala |
Greenville |
MiLB |
1950 |
Toledo |
|
NPB |
1950 |
Hideo Fujimoto |
Yomiuri |
MiLB |
1951 |
Ken Kimball |
Idaho Falls |
AAGPBL |
1951 |
Jean Faut |
South Bend |
ITA |
1952 |
Carlo Tagliaboschi |
Nettuno |
MiLB |
1952 |
Buffalo |
|
Mexico |
1953 |
Ramiro Cuevas |
Nuevo Laredo |
MiLB |
1953 |
Bill Butler |
Lewiston |
AAGPBL |
1953 |
Jean Faut |
South Bend |
NPB |
1955 |
Fumio Takechi |
Kintetsu |
MiLB |
1956 |
Erie |
|
MLB |
1956 |
New York (AL) |
|
NPB |
1956 |
Koretomo Miyaji |
Kokutetsu |
NPB |
1957 |
Masakazu Kaneda |
Kokutetsu |
NPB |
1958 |
Sadao Nishimura |
Nishitetsu |
MiLB |
1959 |
Ron Bloodworth |
Lincoln |
NCAA D-I |
1959 |
Dick Reitz |
Maryland |
NPB |
1960 |
Gentaro Shimada |
Taiyo |
MiLB |
1961 |
Quad Cities |
|
NPB |
1961 |
Yoshimi Moritaki |
Kokutetsu |
NCAA D-I |
1963 |
Don Woeltjen |
Georgia |
MLB |
1964 |
Philadelphia (NL) |
|
MLB |
1965 |
Los Angeles (NL) |
|
NCAA D-I |
1965 |
Bob Schauenberg |
Iowa |
NCAA D-I |
1965 |
Jerry Anderson |
Murray St. |
NPB |
1966 |
Tsutomu Tanaka |
Nishitetsu |
NPB |
1966 |
Yoshiro Sasaki |
Taiyo |
MiLB |
1967 |
West Palm Beach |
|
NCAA D-II |
1967 |
Fresno St. (Calif.) |
|
MiLB |
1968 |
Edward Phillips |
Winston-Salem |
MiLB |
1968 |
Larry Bohannon |
Orlando |
MLB |
1968 |
Oakland |
|
NPB |
1968 |
Yoshiro Tokoba |
Hiroshima |
Mexico |
1969 |
Abel Armas |
C. Mante |
Mexico |
1969 |
San Luis Rio Colorado |
|
MiLB |
1970 |
Chuck Swanson |
Montgomery |
NCAA D-II |
1970 |
Dennis Kessel |
Carthage (Wisc.) |
NPB |
1970 |
Koichiro Sasaki |
Kintetsu |
NPB |
1971 |
Yoshimasa Takahashi |
Ei Azuma |
MiLB |
1973 |
Steve Hardin |
Wilson |
NCAA D-I |
1973 |
Arizona State |
|
NCAA D-II |
1973 |
Chuck Burns |
Northern Iowa |
NPB |
1973 |
Shoroku Yagisawa |
Lotte |
MiLB |
1974 |
Oneonta |
|
MiLB |
1975 |
Marc Bombard |
Tampa |
NAIA |
1975 |
Texas Lutheran |
|
NCAA D-II |
1977 |
Rosario Viens |
Sacred Heart (Conn.) |
Mexico |
1978 |
Aguascalientes |
|
NPB |
1978 |
Yutaro Imai |
Hankyu |
NAIA |
1980 |
Noel Delgado |
Lubbock Christian (Texas) |
Mexico |
1981 |
Victor Garcia |
Nuevo Laredo |
MLB |
1981 |
Len Barker |
Cleveland |
NAIA |
1982 |
Mark Simons |
Armstrong State (Ga.) |
MiLB |
1983 |
Bakersfield |
|
NAIA |
1983 |
Billy Elliot |
Dallas Baptist (Texas) |
MLB |
1984 |
California |
|
NAIA |
1985 |
Randy Beilmeier |
Wisconsin-Oshkosh |
NCAA D-I |
1987 |
Miami (Fla.) |
|
NCAA D-I |
1987 |
Memphis |
|
MLB |
1988 |
Cincinnati |
|
DML |
1989 |
Haarlem |
|
MiLB |
1989 |
Riverside |
|
NAIA |
1989 |
Kevin Fowler |
Montevallo (Ala.) |
ITA |
1990 |
Grosseto |
|
MLB |
1991 |
Montreal |
|
Mexico |
1992 |
Campeche |
|
NAIA |
1992 |
Jamey Morton |
Lubbock Christian (Texas) |
NCAA D-II |
1992 |
Dave Sparks |
Troy (Ala.) |
NAIA |
1993 |
Jeff Luttrell |
Cumberland (Tenn.) |
MiLB |
1994 |
Jason Robbins |
Billings |
MLB |
1994 |
Texas |
|
NAIA |
1994 |
Jason Allread |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
NAIA |
1994 |
Tim Arden |
LeTourneau (Texas) |
NPB |
1994 |
Hiromi Makihara |
Yomiui |
NAIA |
1995 |
Mark Unger |
Illinois Tech |
MiLB |
1996 |
Oklahoma City |
|
NAIA |
1996 |
Lee Harper |
Birmingham-Southern (Ala.) |
NCAA D-I |
1996 |
St. Francis (N.Y.) |
|
DML |
1997 |
Eelco Jansen |
Kinheim |
MLB |
1998 |
New York (AL) |
|
CUB |
1999 |
Sancti Spiritus |
|
ITA |
1999 |
San Marino |
|
MiLB |
1999 |
Kissimmie |
|
MiLB |
1999 |
Inland Empire |
|
MLB |
1999 |
New York (AL) |
|
NAIA |
1999 |
Andy Heimbach |
Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) |
NAIA |
1999 |
Embry-Riddle (Fla.) |
|
MiLB |
2000 |
Clinton |
|
MiLB |
2000 |
Pawtucket |
|
MiLB |
2001 |
Tacoma |
|
MiLB |
2001 |
Kip Bouknight/Pat Lynch |
Tri-City |
MiLB |
2001 |
Charlotte |
|
NCAA D-II |
2001 |
John Connally-Barnett |
Florida Southern |
NCAA D-I |
2002 |
Eric Brandon |
Auburn |
MiLB |
2003 |
Pawtucket |
|
MiLB |
2003 |
Nashville |
|
NAIA |
2003 |
Mitch Crafton |
Lee (Tenn.) |
Mexico |
2004 |
Yucatan |
|
MiLB |
2004 |
Frisco |
|
MiLB |
2004 |
Chris Coughlin |
Burlington |
MiLB |
2004 |
Kinston |
|
MLB |
2004 |
Arizona |
|
NAIA |
2005 |
Mike Mlotkowski |
Oklahoma City |
MiLB |
2007 |
Nashville |
|
NPB |
2007 |
Daisuke Yamai/Hitoki Iwase |
Chunichi |
NAIA |
2008 |
Levi Curry |
Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) |
MiLB |
2009 |
Akron |
|
MLB |
2009 |
Chicago (AL) |
|
NAIA |
2009 |
Southern Poly (Ga.) |
|
MLB |
2010 |
Oakland |
|
MLB |
2010 |
Philadelphia (NL) |
|
MiLB |
2011 |
Columbus |
|
NCAA D-I |
2011 |
Virginia |
|
MiLB |
2012 |
Palm Beach |
|
MLB |
2012 |
Seattle |
|
MLB |
2012 |
San Francisco |
|
MLB |
2012 |
Chicago (AL) |
|
NAIA |
2013 |
Drew Greiwe |
Central Methodist (Mo.) |
NAIA |
2013 |
Doane (Neb.) |
|
ITA |
2014 |
Angel Marquez |
Grosseto |
NAIA |
2014 |
Oklahoma City |
|
NCAA D-I |
2014 |
Miami (Fla.) |
|
MiLB |
2015 |
Gabriel Castellanos/Brett Lilek/Steven Farworth |
Batavia |
NAIA |
2015 |
Missouri Baptist |
|
NAIA |
2015 |
Jason Karkenny |
The Master’s (Calif.) |
NCAA D-I |
2015 |
Oregon State |
|
NCAA D-I |
2016 |
Wright State |
|
NCAA D-I |
2016 |
Seton Hall |
|
MiLB |
2017 |
Kane County |
|
MiLB |
2017 |
Augusta |
|
MiLB |
2017 |
Pensacola |
|
NAIA |
2017 |
Damon Proctor |
University of Northwestern Ohio |
NCAA D-I |
2017 |
Loyola Marymount |
|
CPBL |
2018 |
Uni-Lions |
|
NCAA D-I |
2018 |
Washington |
|
NCAA D-II |
2018 |
Pace (N.Y.) |
|
NCAA D-II |
2018 |
Mitchell Powers |
Southern New Hampshire |
DML |
2019 |
Neptunus |
|
NCAA D-I |
2019 |
East Carolina |
|
NCAA D-II |
2019 |
Will Bausinger |
Missouri Southern St. |
NCAA D-I |
2020 |
Duke |
|
DML |
2021 |
Amsterdam |
|
NCAA D-II |
2021 |
Cade Crader |
MSU Denver |
NCAA D-I |
2022 |
Maryland |
|
NPB |
2022 |
Roki Sasaki |
Chiba Lotte |
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