Perfection's Unwritten Chapters

            Even though Philip Humber and Matt Cain missed being a part of James Buckley Junior’s book by one year, their perfect games will be remembered for different reasons.

            In Humber’s case, his no-hit, no-run, no-man-reaching-first game is an indirect tribute to a family friend.

            As spring turned to summer in 1994, pitcher Robert Ellis took Humber to visit the Chicago White Sox at spring training. Ellis was trying to make the team, and Humber got the kind of access every kid in Carthage Texas could have dreamed of.  

            Although Ellis never wore Chicago’s black pinstripes himself, his friend had some extra motivation to step into the batting cage in his back yard.

Eighteen years, three teams, and 29 starts later Humber pitched his way into baseball lore, and the hearts of Southsiders.

On April 21, 2012 Humber sent all 27 Seattle Mariners that he faced back to the dugout. Humber struck out nine, induced five groundouts and 13 flyouts.

In addition to being the 21^st pitcher in MLB history to throw a perfect game (and the third White Sox pitcher to do so), Humber was the first pitcher to throw a perfect game against a team that threw a combined no-hitter earlier that year: ever.

            That Kirk gem will be what separates Humber’s game from the perfectos of others. Perfect game number 21 did not happen in the World Series like Don Larsen’s did. Outfielder Dwayne Wise was not there to make a home run robbing catch like he was back in 2009. This perfecto did not occur on Mothers Day like Dallas Braden’s nor on Father’s day like Jim Bunning’s did. Still, Humber is part of an iconic club thanks in part to Robert Ellis.

            If Humber was perfection’s unknown hurler, Matt Cain’s perfect game was a hard luck pitcher finally breaking through.

Since 2006, the Giants averaged a major league low 3.91 runs per game in Cain’s starts. On those occasions when the Giants did score more than three runs, Cain was 65-9. On June 13^th, Cain did not have to worry about run support.

The Giants scored ten runs against the Houston Astros en-route to the 22^nd perfecto in MLB history. For all the statisticians out there, Cain had the most run support ever in a perfect game.

Even with uncanny help, the lasting number of Cain’s perfecto is 14. Not just because it is tied for the most strikeouts ever during a perfect game; it’s also because a Giant tied the record held by an L.A. Dodger. Surely the baseball junkies have heard of a guy named Sandy Koufax, the guy who Cain now shares a record with.

However, the perfect games pitched by Cain and Koufax couldn’t have been more different.

Koufax threw his perfecto in one of the best pitchers duels in baseball history. The opposing pitcher Bob Hendley gave up one hit, a walk, and an unearned run in that 1965 showdown. Despite Hendley’s effort, his Cubs got perfected and lost 1-0.

Cain did not have to worry about run support, for once, after the first inning. Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera hit a two run homer and the Giants bombardment continued from there.

Nobody knows when the next perfect game will happen. Yet that’s part of the majesty of baseball, for it could happen tomorrow by a journeyman like Humber or a hard luck stud like Cain. Guess baseball fans just have to wait for perfect game number 23.