Fantasy Perfection

[DOUGHBOYS]

I watched Hisashi Iwakuma's no-hitter yesterday. I have seen many no-hitters on tv. This one was no more or less exciting than the others. A no-hitter is still, somehow, sacred to baseball fans. No matter our feelings towards that pitcher, no matter team allegiances, we all start rooting for him. A no-hitter trandscends the game. The score, much less import.
By merely watching, we feel we are becoming a part of history. The fact is that we are not, in any form. But, we still feel that way.

Owning Iwakuma in a couple of leagues, my rooting interest went beyond him notching the no-hitter.
He was getting outs for me at a pace that would certainly help my fantasy team. A good thing, for sure.
But, it got me thinking.
This game wasn't helping me any more fantasy-wise, than a complete game two-hitter with 12 strike outs.
Iwakuma had seven strikeouts.
The notion struck me that no pitcher has thrown a fantasy perfect game. And no pitcher ever will.
A perfect fantasy game would be 27 outs recorded, all by way of the strike out.

First, let's look at just how hard a perfect game is.
Only 21 perfect games have been thrown in the modern era. The first, appropriately, was thrown by Cy Young.
Young had five strike outs in the game. A yawner by todays standards. But, Young pitched in an era where striking out for a hitter was an embarrassment.
Young's game was also noteworthy for being the quickest perfect game on record. Game time, one hour, 25 minutes.

For those that wonder why there was such a huge commotion about Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series game...
First, it was a World Series game.
Second, Larsen was by no means, ever mentioned in the same breath as Cy Young.
Third, Larsen pitched his game in front of over 60,000 fans and a new audience on television.
Fourth, no perfect game had been thrown for 34 years. Two generations.
Fifth, it was a World Series game.

Randy Johnson threw a perfect game at age 40. Oldest to ever throw a perfect game.

Addie Ross of Cleveland threw a perfect game in 1908. Four years after Cy Young's. The second perfect game.
He threw 74 pitches. Three strike outs. Those batters, being some of the few that even saw three pitches that day.

Sandy Koufax was probably involved in the best perfect game ever, besides Larsen.
Koufax matched up against Bob Hendley of the Cubs.
Both Koufax and Hendley had perfect games going into the bottom of the fifth inning. Hendley lost his perfect game in allowing Lou Johnson to walk. Johnson was sacrificed to second base, then stole third base, and scored on the errant throw by the catcher.
Koufax then continued his perfect game in the sixth and Hendley got three up three down in the bottom of the frame.
Koufax pitched a perfect seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh with two outs, Lou Johnson doinked a double down the right field line, ending Hendley's no-hit bid.
Johnson's walk and double would account for all the baserunning in the game.
No other player reached.
Koufax struck out every Cubs starter except Don Kessinger. He struck out Kessinger's pinch hitter in the ninth inning.
Koufax finished with 14 strike outs. Or more than half of the Cubs players who marched up to the plate.

Koufax perfect game was the most spectacular from a fantasy point of view. But, when Koufax pitched, there was no fantasy baseball. So, we must move on through history.
There was only one pitcher who threw a perfect game in the fifties, Larsen.
Jim Bunning, Koufax, and Catfish Hunter, the 60's hurlers.
Nobody threw a perfect game during the seventies.
Three in the eighties.
Four in the nineties.
There were two in 2010. This marked the first time that two perfect games were thrown in the same year.
This would be topped two years later when three pitchers would hurl perfect games in 2012.
Funny though, none have have been thrown since.

And it is in 2012 where we find the perfect game that most helps our fantasy team.
Matt Cain threw a perfect game that matched Sandy Koufax 14 strike outs. And I use Sandy Koufax full name because, in my mind, it is rolling off Vin Scully's tongue. If anybody can say a name, just a name, and somehow have the love, respect, and admiration for a man in just saying that name, it is Vin Scully saying, "Sandy Koufax".

Is Matt Cain's perfect game with 14 k's the best fantasy game ever?
I don't know. It depends on the needs of our own team. If we are needing 20 strike outs from Kerry Wood's game more than the ERA or WHIP ratios from a perfect game, then more strike outs would suit some teams more.
All that aside, we will never see fantasy perfection.
27 strike outs facing 27 hitters is too much to ask. It'd be like shooting a perfect 18 in golf.
So, we 'settle' for no-hitters like Iwakuma's.
And they're still cool.

[Navel Lint]

Addie Ross of Cleveland threw a perfect game in 1908. Four years after Cy Young's. The second perfect game.
He threw 74 pitches. Three strike outs. Those batters, being some of the few that even saw three pitches that day.

I know it's just a typing error, so I'm not calling you out, it's Addie Joss.

I only point this out because Joss is one of the great forgotten players in baseball history (and because I've done some past study on the man )

A pitcher for the Cleveland Naps, Joss won 160 games over his 9 year career.
He threw the perfect game as you mentioned as well as a second no-hitter.
He is First all-time in WHiP.
He is second all-time in ERA, and still in the top 25 for adjusted ERA+
He was a sports writer for several Cleveland newspapers.
He invented an electronic ball and strike indicator that was sort of the prototype for the modern scoreboard.

Joss died at the age of 31 before play began for what would have been his 10th season.

Addie Joss is the only player not to play the required 10 MLB seasons (not including Negro-League players) in the HOF.

[DOUGHBOYS]

It wasn't a typing error as much as it was a brain fart.

Joss perfect game was nearly as good a game as Koufax. Pitching against Joss that day was Big Ed Walsh.
Walsh, a future Hall of Famer, and easily one of the best pitchers of that era struck out 15 Clevelanders, gave up only four hits, and lost the game 1-0.

[ToddZ]

Where were your seats

[Navel Lint]

Where were your seats

I couldn't find any pictures of the Perfect Game, but I did find this one.

After Joss died unexpectedly in April of 1911, the Naps hosted an exhibition game on July 24th to raise funds for Addie Joss' family. The game pitted the Cleveland Naps against a team of "All-Stars" from the other American League teams.




Here you can see a young DOUGHBOYS in the team picture. Dan is the kid between Walter Johnson and Hal Chase in the middle of the back row.

[Yah Mule]

They got Ty Cobb into an Indians uniform for that game.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Just an awesome picture, Russ!
Teams would play exhibitions for players, benefits, or for the owners pockets up until the 1960's.
Can you imagine them doing that now?

I snuck in, Todd.

[DOUGHBOYS]

They got Ty Cobb into an Indians uniform for that game.

The Boston players look real happy to be there.

[Edwards Kings]

Great thread. Great picture. Look at those spikes! You could plow a field with those puppies.

[Navel Lint]

Here is the full picture.



It includes Eddie Collins and Paddy Livingston on the ends.
I chose to post the other cropped picture previously because it showed "Dan" more clearly.

Actually. I didn't crop the picture, the NFBC message board did based on limitations to size when posting pictures. Over the years I have been frustrated that I haven't been able to post every picture that I've wanted because of this limitation

As for Cobb wearing the Cleveland Jersey, I had to do a double take on that myself.
From what I've read, Cobb's Detroit jersey was lost in transit and he had to wear one from the Cleveland.

Of course, I can't think about Cobb without thinking about Pete Rose.
Here is a picture of Rose 68 years later in the 1979 All-Star Game.
It was Pete's first season with the Phillies.
To my knowledge it's never been explained why, but Pete wore his "batting practice" jersey during the game.



I put "batting practice" in quotes because teams didn't have separate practice jerseys then like they do now. This was really just an "under-garment" that some players wore under their jerseys.
It did spur a new market though. Fans were interested in the "jersey" and the next season several teams started wearing (and selling ) batting practice jerseys.

Here are two more photos from that 1979 All-Star Game in Seattle.

The first is of Rose, Lou Brock, and Carl Yastrzemski.
In that order, they were the three active hits leaders in MLB history.



The last photo is of Morganna the Kissing Bandit. She ran out on the field and gave George Brett a hug and kiss.




And just to wrap this all up......... Morganna's first on field kiss of a player........ 1971 Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.
The player?
Yep, it was Pete Rose.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Have already looked at that picture 100's of times.
See something different each time. Awesome.

Hats were just beginning to have team insignia's on them. Before the insignia's, players caps only matched team colors.
Hats worn by fans behind the players, oh so common then.
Kids wore 'newspaper boy' hats. Men of little or medium means wore straw hats. The rich with the tall, black toppers.
For a long time, the cap was used by players to communicate with the crowd.
Back in the day, a player would respond to applause from the crowd with a tip of the hat or even a full cap doffing after a great play. Babe Ruth, gregarious in his hat doffing, won over a lot of fans. Ruth made fans feel as if they were a part of his exploits.
Ted Williams was admonished for not acknowledging a crowd's applause. Early in his career, he was booed for striking out, then making an error. He vowed never to tip his hat to the Fenway faithful again.
We seldom see cap tipping now, unless a starting pitcher is taken out by a manager after a well pitched game and tips his hat to fans on the way to the dugout.
Or the Yankees fans 'roll call' in the first inning.
Too bad.

[Navel Lint]

Ted Williams was admonished for not acknowledging a crowd's applause. Early in his career, he was booed for striking out, then making an error. He vowed never to tip his hat to the Fenway faithful again.

I remember reading that.

When Williams came back to Fenway in 1999 for the All-Star game and the introduction of the All-Century Team, he made a point to raise his cap as a final thank you to the Boston fans.



I doubt many in the stands knew the significance of the gesture.

[Yah Mule]

Great stuff, you guys.