MLB: Matt Cain Throws a Perfect Game. Has This Accomplishment Lost Its Luster? - Joe Chacon's Blog

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Joe Chacon's Blog

MLB: Matt Cain Throws a Perfect Game. Has This Accomplishment Lost Its Luster? Stuck

Posted on June 14, 2012 at 02:49 AM.

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Photo Credit: The Associated Press

Matt Cain has just completed the 22nd perfect game in the history of Major League Baseball.

Cain also tied Sandy Koufax's record for most strikeouts in a game with 14 en route to the first perfect game in San Francisco Giants history.

The perfect game was the second perfecto of the 2012 MLB season. The first one was thrown by Philip Humber on April 21 against Seattle.

Two perfect games have been thrown in the same season in 1880, 2010, and now 2012.

Hopefully for Gaints fans, Matt Cain builds off of this perfect game and doesn't collapse like Humber has. Humber is currently sporting a 2-4 record with an ERA of 5.92. He has allowed over five earned runs in five of his nine starts since the perfect game.

Operation Sports Writer, Gary Armida, recently wrote a phenomenal article recounting almost every stat regarding no-hitters you could possibly want to know.

When you see a scoreboard alert, or are made aware that a pitcher has gone five no-hit innings, do you get as excited today as you did five years ago? Or has the increase in the frequency of these events toned down your excitement?

Personally, I believe baseball can see a few more no-hitters this season and then go a few seasons where only one happens every now and then. Just because more have happened as of late does not diminish the feat itself, nor does it make me any less excited when I get word that one is in progress.

As a Dodger fan, I never get much satisfaction from seeing Giants fans celebrate, but I can certainly appreciate a great performance.

Regardless of what team you pull for, it's hard not to be happy for Cain, his family, and the fans that were able to witness the first perfect game in the history of the Giants franchise.

Congratulations, Matt Cain.

Joe Chacon is a Staff Writer for Operation Sports and a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JoeChacon.

Comments

# 1 Steve_OS @ Jun 14

Nope, hasn't lost its luster at all. In fact, I have gotten chills watching Blanco's catch for the past 1/2 hour. I'm loving it, since I'm a Giants fan.

# 2 BaylorBearBryant @ Jun 14

Keep in mind however, this feat was done against the disAstros.

# 3 Joe Chacon @ Jun 14

@mizzou Thanks, man! Good looking out.

# 4 mo2119 @ Jun 14

msuboy, hitters are also getting bigger, faster, stronger and better. The increase in perfect games and no-hitters is because we have seen a rich crop of elite pitchers enter the majors over the past 5 or so years and we have seen the dawn of the steroid era. Congrats to Cain for a spectacular performance.

# 5 Seltaeb9091 @ Jun 14

Granted, it seems like I've been seeing tons of alerts from MLB's Twitter feed about someone who's gone hitless through five or six innings. It's true that we've seen many more no-hitters in recent years, and it's easy to blame a diluted talent pool due to expansion. As also noted, Houston isn't a very good team (that probably also explains SF's power surge). But a perfect game is something that's been done less than two dozen times in 143 years, and once in the Giants franchise's 130 years. Completing a game without walks, hit batsmen or errors is difficult enough, let alone the runs and hits. I don't see how this could ever be seen as a throwaway accomplishment.

# 6 gigadkc @ Jun 14

there are so many no-hitters and perfect games nowadays, it's definitly lost some luster. I mean it's still something special but I'm not too surprised when I see that another guy threw a perfect game or a no-hitter.

# 7 habslover10_GoYanks @ Jun 14

Yes. Like you said, there have been two perfect games in the same season only three times, one time being two years ago, and now we have two and were just halfway through the season. Pitching has become the dominant part of the game now, as batting averages as well as runs per game is down just about every year. Still though, this is an amazing feat.

# 8 bmxnw @ Jun 14

Really, gigadkc? So many No-Hitters and Perfect Games? There has only been 277 No-Hitters in the 143 year history of the MLB. Of those 277, only 22 are Perfect Games. There have been hundred of thousands of games played in that 143 years and only 22 have been Perfect Games. Care to retract your statement now?

# 9 marginwalker12 @ Jun 14

Pitching is not getting better! It's only getting better in respect of no-hitters and perfect games. League ERA is still up from historical numbers. The reason why you didn't see as many perfect games early on was, one, because there wasn't that many teams or games (154 and 140 game seasons were once the norm). And two, there was a much higher focus on contact and single hitters. Do the math, the higher percentage of balls you put into play, the more hits you have. Pitchers are getting less deeper into games. And a shrinking strike hasn't helped them either. What has is a game that's evolved to where teams are being more efficient on offense by bolstering their lineups with power. Creating a situation where you score more with less hits.

Since 1900, the odds of a perfect game are 1 out of 16,000 games played. Or 1 out of 32,000 games started. That's pretty decent achievement.

# 10 meepin @ Jun 14

lol is this blog title serious?? there has been 22 perfect games in the whole history of baseball... 22... how could it of even come close to losing its luster

# 11 Joe Chacon @ Jun 14

@meepin The title implies this is only about perfect games, but it is really about no-hitters in general. It seems as if every week this season there has been a pitcher taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning. It's a hot-button debate in sports right now and thought it posed a good question for the OS community.

# 12 jmik58 @ Jun 14

It's definitely a fair question to ask. If we continue to see no-hitters and perfect games it makes the accomplishment seem more "normal". The rarity is what helps define the greatness. It's the principle of scarcity. Why are rare collectors items worth the most? If we suddenly found thousands of Honus Wagner cards, the value would drastically drop. The question doesn't imply the act is less amazing, it only highlights the human element -- more specifically the way we interpret the value of a no-hitter or perfect game.

# 13 Gary Armida @ Jun 14

Good stuff Joe. I still get excited when I'm watching a no-hitter. It is baseball at its best...intensity on every pitch. I agree with you; we could see a few more this year and then go a year or two without any.

# 14 gigadkc @ Jun 14

"Care to retract your statement now?"

No, not at all because you didn't read what I said. I said nowadays. I didn't say ever. Look how many no-hitters and perfect games were thrown during the past 5 years. So many that I forgot most of them. Just look at this season: we're not even half way through and already had 2 perfect games and 3 (?) no-hitters.