The Perfect Game

The perfect game in baseball is a game in which the pitcher gives up no hits, no walks, no runs, nobody gets on base. Twenty Seven batters up twenty batters down. This remarkable feat has occurred 23 times in Major League history. Twenty four if you count "The 28 Out Perect Game", but that is another story.  The first perfect game occurred June 12, 1880.

On Saturday June 20, 2015 Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer was a strike away from the 23rd perfect game in MLB history.

In the top of the ninth with two out, the home team Nationals were leading the Pirates 6-0. Scherzer successfully retired 26 straight batters. Pirates outfielder Jose Tabata stepped up to the plate as the 27th batter.


This is Tabata's 6th season in the bigs. He has a respectable .275 batting average in those 5 seasons. This year he is enjoying his best season batting .306. Baseball does involve luck but when a batter is able to improve his average by 25 points,  luck s only part of the formula. Tabata works hard and is maturing into a good hitter. Only time will tell but if Tabata continues to make improvements like this he will have a successful career.

Besides luck and hard work a batter can improve by becoming more comfortable in the batters box. A batter must learn how to swing a bat and control their thoughts. Fear of getting hit or fear of failure will destroy a batter's focus. Fear can be controlled by wearing armor as many batters including Tabata use today. Elbow, shin and foot armor protect the hitter from a bad pitch or a tipped ball. The armor can help a batter relax and improve their focus.

Twenty years ago the plate was owned by the pitcher. If a batter start crowding the plate it was acceptable and at times expected for the pitcher to brush him back with a fast ball high and inside or above the helmet. The intent is not to injure but to keep the batter from getting too comfortable.Today pitchers are warned and ejected if the umpire feels there is any intentional brush back thrown.

Hitting any type of breaking ball is different then hitting a fastball. The swing is the same the hitter must train himself to sit back and wait. Some hitters will say wait for the break then hit it into the opposite field. You aren't necessarily hitting it oppo buty that thought helps the batter to remain balanced and ready to make contact. Exactly how Tabata stared down Scherzer's slider. 

The battle between Tabata and Scherzer in the 9th inning with 2 outs exemplifies the game within the game of baseball.  The first game is team vs team, The second game is the pitcher vs the batter. Casual fans often cannot see the game within the game. This particular at bat proved to be a classic.  The intensity both pitcher and batter experience increases with each pitch. This at bat before its disappointing conclusion felt like a Frazier vs Ali bout. Somebody was going down.

Scherzer starts off with a 96 mph fastball. An impressive speed for a starting pitcher in the ninth inning. Tabata fouls it off. The second pitch is an 88 mph slider that Tabata also fouls off. The count is 0-2. Scherzer has the advantage and is in control. With an 0-2 count there is no reason to throw a strike. The batter is on the defensive. A good pitcher takes advantage of this situation and forces a swing at a pitch outside the strike zone.

Scherzer tempts Tabata with a slider that misses for ball 1 and follows that with a 97 mph fastball also out of the strike zone. Tabata's remains disciplined and takes both. Scherzer throws a slider at 86 mph and then attacks with 2 fast balls that break 96-97mph. Tabata fouls off all three pitches. This is a quality at bat from him.

The count is 2 and 2 with 7 pitches thrown.  Tabata is keyed to Scherzer and after fouling off 5 of the 7 pitches he is determined to win. Scherzer is standing at history's door step. He still has the advantage. The 2 and 2 count gives him room to waste one more. Scherzer has now thrown 102 pitches 79 of which have been strikes. He continues to accurately throw 97 mph. With that type of command and continued velocity personally I'd with a high fastball, out of the strike zone to tempt Tabata into swinging. Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos sends Scherzer the sign but Scherzer shakes it off. And he shakes of the next call. This is Scherzer's game he knows what he is doing. He wants the slider and he is coming inside with it. With a 2-2 count the inside slider is a great set up pitch. It will bring the count to 3-2 and would make an outside fastball appear faster. Its a one two punch that could record the third strike, the out and the perfect game. Planning, executing, adjusting each pitch, each batter, each inning it doesn't stop until the game is over.The game with in the game makes baseball so much more exciting then any other sport.

Lets not get ahead of ourselves with the 2-2 count Scherzer comes inside with the slider. It looks perfect for the setup. Tabata, if he swings isn't going to be able to hit it with any authority. As a disciplined hitter Tabata intensely focuses on the pitch. He recognizes its a breaking ball. He intensely follows the pitch. He remains balanced ready to swing if its a strike. The pitch is clearly inside for a ball. Just as the catcher is about to grab the ball Tabata drops just enough to hit the ball with the armor of his elbow pad. The intense battle between pitcher and hitter suddenly becomes a farce, a rip off, a cheap bush league win for Tabata.

Scherzer quickly walks off the mound looking up to the sky. He pauses turns around looks towards his catcher for the ball, adjusts his caps and gets back on the mound to focus on the next batter. Three fastballs later and Max Scherzer has a no hitter in the books.

Tabata insisted he did not intentionally get hit. On Sunday many thought Tabata was going to see a brush back pitch his first at back. But by the time he got to bat in the second inning the Nats were already up 9-0. A pretty solid brush back for Tabata. Max Scherzer and the Nationals have proven they are a class act. You don't go up 9-0 then plunk a batter.

The game was over after the next batter but did it end? The season is long and baseball players are patient.  The Nationals and Pirates meet again for a four game set starting July 23. They can also be competing for a Wildcard spot or face off in a playoff round. It certainly will be interesting to see what if anything transpires when Scherzer and Tabata battle again.

Scherzer lost his bid for the perfect game yet he played a perfect game on and off the field. The poise and respect he shows to the game, his teammates and his opponents is impressive. He had an opportunity to complain or to show disappointment missing out on history instead he explained his excitement over bringing his Mom and Dad to the game for Father's Day "That's what my dad wanted. He doesn't want a tie. I gave him a no-hitter, so he's pretty happy." Perfect!