Randy Johnson's perfect game - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

On May 18, 2004, Randy Johnson

Randy Johnson

Randall David Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams....

, who was a member of the Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

(MLB) Arizona Diamondbacks

2004 Arizona Diamondbacks season

The 2004 Arizona Diamondbacks looked to improve on their 84-78 record from 2003. They looked to contend in what was a weaker National League West than in years past. They finished the season with a record of 51-111, in last place in the division...

at the time, pitched a perfect game

Perfect game

A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...

against the Atlanta Braves

2004 Atlanta Braves season

-Offseason:*October 25, 2003: DeWayne Wise was signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves.*November 14, 2003: Jorge Velandia was signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves.*December 13, 2003: J.D. Drew was traded by the St...

. The game took place at Turner Field

Turner Field

Turner Field is a stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, home to Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves since 1997. Turner Field was originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium, it was completed in 1996 to serve as the centerpiece of the 1996 Summer Olympics...

in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

in front of a crowd of 23,381 people. Johnson, who was 40 at the time, was the oldest pitcher in MLB history to throw a perfect game, surpassing Cy Young

Cy Young

Denton True "Cy" Young was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 22-year baseball career , he pitched for five different teams. Young was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937...

who was 37 when he threw his perfect game in 1904. The perfect game was the seventeenth in baseball history, the predecessor being David Cone

David Cone

David Brian Cone is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1986-2003 for six different teams. Cone pitched the sixteenth perfect game in baseball history. He also set the MLB record for most years between 20-win seasons. He was a member of five...

in 1999.

Background

Going into the game, Johnson had a win-loss record of 3–4 with a 2.83 earned run average

Earned run average

In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...

(ERA) in eight games. On April 16, 2004, Johnson pitched a complete game

Complete game

In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...

shutout

Shutout

In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....

against the San Diego Padres

San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...

Game summary

The game officially started at 7:36 p.m. in front of 23,381 people at Turner Field

Turner Field

in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

. Johnson's catcher

Catcher

Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...

for the game was Robbie Hammock, who was playing his second season in the Majors. Johnson later praised Hammock stating, "I only shook [Hammock] off two or three times...He called a great game. The thing is he was probably the most excited guy in the clubhouse, and I'm happy for that. He's come a long way." The last batter of the game was pinch-hitter Eddie Pérez, who was struck out

Strikeout

In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....

on a 98 miles per hour (158 km/h) fastball

Fastball

The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...

. Johnson struck out 13 batters in the game, giving him the second highest number of strikeouts in a MLB perfect game performance behind Sandy Koufax

Sandy Koufax

Sanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...

's 14 Ks in 1965

Sandy Koufax's perfect game

Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitched a perfect game in Major League Baseball against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium on September 9, 1965. Koufax, by retiring 27 consecutive batters without allowing any to reach base, became the sixth pitcher of the modern era, eighth overall, to...

. The perfect game made it Johnson's second no-hitter

No-hitter

A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...

, the other coming in 1990 while he was a member of the Seattle Mariners

1990 Seattle Mariners season

The Seattle Mariners 1990 season was their 14th since the franchise creation, and ended the season finishing 5th in the American League West, finishing with a record of 77-85.-Regular season:...

. Johnson's perfect game was the first in the MLB since David Cone

David Cone

on July 18, 1999, while Cone was a member of the New York Yankees

1999 New York Yankees season

The New York Yankees' 1999 season was the 97th season for the Bronx based professional baseball team. The team finished with a record of 98-64 finishing 4 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. New York was managed by Joe Torre. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium...

, and the first in the National League

National League

The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

since Dennis Martínez

Dennis Martínez

José Dennis Martínez Emilia , nicknamed "El Presidente" , is a former Major League Baseball pitcher...

of the Montreal Expos

1991 Montreal Expos season

After several winning seasons, the Expos faltered in 1991, winning only 20 of its first 49 games. Manager Buck Rodgers was replaced as manager by Tom Runnells.-Offseason:* November 15, 1990: Scott Service was signed as a free agent by the Expos....

on July 28, 1991. Johnson, who was 40 at the time, surpassed Cy Young

Cy Young

as the oldest pitcher to throw a perfect game in MLB history. Young, who achieved the feat in 1904, was 37 at the time.

-Johnny Estrada's first at-bat in the second inning was the longest of the night, requiring 11 pitches before striking out swinging. It was the only Braves at-bat that reached 3 balls in the count.

-Veteran Chipper Jones struck out all three times.

-Andruw Jones was the only Braves batter without a strikeout, in fact, all three at-bats resulted in balls hit to the outfield, his second at-bat in the fifth inning being the only ball hit to left fielder Luis Gonzalez in the 27 out performance.

-The closest play that almost resulted in a hit was Mike Hampton's second at-bat in the sixth inning when a chop ground ball dribbling left of the second base bag resulted in Alex Cintron going into a do-or-die bare hand grab and throw to the first baseman for the out.

Game stats

General reference: May 18, 2004 Arizona Diamondbacks at Atlanta Braves Play by Play and Box Score Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved August 4, 2010.

Line score

Box score

Diamondbacks	AB At bat In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...	R Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...	H Hit (baseball) In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....	RBI Run batted in Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...	BB Base on balls A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...	SO Strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....	AVG Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
Chad Tracy Chad Tracy Chad Austin Tracy is a Major League Baseball third baseman, who is currently with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.-College & draft:... , 3B Third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...	4	0	2	1	1	0	.348
Matt Kata Matt Kata Matthew John Kata is a Major League Baseball infielder who is currently in the Texas Rangers organization.... , 2B Second baseman Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...	5	0	0	0	0	1	.254
Luis Gonzalez, LF Left fielder In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...	3	0	0	0	1	0	.271
Shea Hillenbrand Shea Hillenbrand Shea Matthew Hillenbrand is a professional baseball player who last played for the York Revolution of the independent Atlantic League.... , 1B First baseman First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...	4	0	1	0	0	1	.261
Steve Finley Steve Finley Steven Allen Finley is a former Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:Finley, who grew up in Paducah, Kentucky, attended Paducah Tilghman High School and Southern Illinois University, where he earned a degree in physiology and played for the baseball team from 1984–87.-College, Team USA,... , CF Center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...	4	0	1	0	0	0	.265
Danny Bautista Danny Bautista Daniel Bautista Alcántara is a former MLB baseball outfielder. He is more commonly known as Danny Bautista.... , RF Right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...	4	1	1	0	0	0	.341
Alex Cintrón Alex Cintrón Alexander Cintrón is a former Major League Baseball infielder who played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals. His last Major League game was in April 2009... , SS Shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...	4	1	3	1	0	0	.255
Robby Hammock Robby Hammock Robert Wade Hammock is a retired Major League Baseball catcher.-Career:Hammock was drafted three times: in 1995 by the Florida Marlins, in 1997 by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and in 1998 by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played five seasons at various minor league levels from to... , C Catcher Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...	3	0	0	0	1	1	.229
Randy Johnson Randy Johnson Randall David Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams.... , P Pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...	4	0	0	0	0	2	.150

Diamondbacks	IP Innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...	H Hits allowed In Baseball statistics, hits allowed signifies the total number of hits a pitcher allowed....	R	ER	BB Base on balls A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...	SO Strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....	HR Home runs allowed In baseball statistics, home runs allowed signifies the total number of home runs a pitcher allowed.The record for the most home runs allowed by any pitcher belongs to Jamie Moyer , the oldest active pitcher in the major leagues...	ERA Earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
Randy Johnson Randy Johnson Randall David Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams....	9	0	0	0	0	13	0	2.43

Braves	AB At bat In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...	GO	AO	SO Strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....	LO	AVG Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
Jesse Garcia Jesse Garcia (baseball) Jesus Jesse Garcia is a Major League Baseball infielder, primarily at shortstop. He bats and throws right-handed.... , SS Shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...	3	1	0	2	0	.284
Julio Franco Julio Franco Julio César Robles Franco is a former Major League Baseball infielder and designated hitter. In , Franco was the oldest active player in the major leagues at the age of 49.... , 1B First baseman First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...	3	1	1	1	0	.255
Chipper Jones Chipper Jones Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones, Jr. is a Major League baseball player for the National League's Atlanta Braves. Although initially a shortstop, he has spent most of his career as the starting third baseman for the Braves... , LF Left fielder In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...	3	0	0	3	0	.238
Andruw Jones Andruw Jones Andruw Rudolf Jones is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is a free agent.Jones made his debut during the 1996 season. In the 1996 World Series, Jones became the youngest player to ever homered in the postseason... , CF Center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...	3	0	2	0	1	.246
Johnny Estrada Johnny Estrada Johnny Pulado Estrada III is a former American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers and the Washington Nationals.Estrada was selected in the 17th round of the 1997 Major... , C Catcher Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...	3	0	1	2	0	.333
J. D. Drew J. D. Drew David Jonathan "J. D." Drew is an American professional baseball right fielder who is a free agent. He is a left-handed hitter, and began his major league career in with the St. Louis Cardinals... , RF Right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...	3	1	1	1	0	.296
Mark DeRosa Mark DeRosa Mark Thomas DeRosa is a Major League Baseball player. DeRosa is a utility player who has been primarily a second baseman, but can play other positions, including the outfield; he played six positions for the Chicago Cubs. He bats right-handed.DeRosa was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 7th... , 3B Third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...	3	2	1	0	0	.201
Nick Green, 2B Second baseman Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...	3	1	0	2	0	.222
Mike Hampton Mike Hampton Michael William Hampton is a left-handed former Major League Baseball pitcher. During his career, Hampton was well known for being one of the best hitting pitchers of his time, as well as for his large contract and frequent injuries.-Early career:Mike Hampton was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in... , P Pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...	2	1	0	1	0	.200
Eddie Pérez, PH Pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...	1	0	0	1	0	.200

Braves	IP Innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...	H Hits allowed In Baseball statistics, hits allowed signifies the total number of hits a pitcher allowed....	R	ER	BB Base on balls A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...	SO Strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....	HR Home runs allowed In baseball statistics, home runs allowed signifies the total number of home runs a pitcher allowed.The record for the most home runs allowed by any pitcher belongs to Jamie Moyer , the oldest active pitcher in the major leagues...	ERA Earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
Mike Hampton Mike Hampton Michael William Hampton is a left-handed former Major League Baseball pitcher. During his career, Hampton was well known for being one of the best hitting pitchers of his time, as well as for his large contract and frequent injuries.-Early career:Mike Hampton was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in...	9	8	2	2	3	5	0	6.36

Reactions

Robbie Hammock, the catcher

Catcher

of Johnson's perfect game:
Robin Yount

Robin Yount

Robin R. Yount is an American former Major League Baseball shortstop and center fielder. He spent his entire 20-year baseball career with the Milwaukee Brewers . In 1999, Yount was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.-Early years:Yount was born in Danville, Illinois...

, the bench coach of the Diamondbacks at the time:
Luis Gonzalez, left fielder

Left fielder

In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...

for the Diamondbacks at the time:
Bob Brenly

Bob Brenly

Robert Earl Brenly is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. He played the majority of his career as a catcher with the San Francisco Giants and played half a season for the Toronto Blue Jays...

, Diamondbacks manager

Manager (baseball)

In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...

at the time:

Footnotes

Eddie Pérez pinch hit for pitcher

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

Mike Hampton

Michael William Hampton is a left-handed former Major League Baseball pitcher. During his career, Hampton was well known for being one of the best hitting pitchers of his time, as well as for his large contract and frequent injuries.-Early career:Mike Hampton was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in...

in the bottom of the ninth inning

Inning

Inning is a municipality in the district of Erding in Bavaria in Germany....

External links

Randy Johnson's Prefect Game — MLB.com: History

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