DEPTFORD, N.J. — Back in Mudville, when mighty Casey took an unheeded pitch for a strike, there went up a muffled roar: “‘Kill him! Kill the umpire!’ shouted someone on the stand.”
Even in 1888, well before pitch clocks, $17 beers and instant replay, a common thread for the fans in baseball’s most epic poem was how much they loved to threaten umpires.
These days, 135 or so years after writer Ernest Lawrence Thayer’s renowned verse, one Little League in New Jersey is taking a hands-on approach. Its target: those watching 10- and 11-year-olds play baseball who curse at the volunteers behind the plate.
You want some of this? they’re saying. Well, come get some. In Deptford, the umpire recruiting slogan sign may as well read: If you can’t berate them, join them.
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Dan Gelston, Associated Press
Deptford Little League President Don Bozzuffi poses at the Deptford, N.J. Little League complex, May 10. Baseball is steeped in the tradition of fans wanting to jeer the umpire. Â One Little League in New Jersey is taking a more hands-on approach. The fans could become the umpires if they won't follow league rules on sportsmanship.
The April Facebook post hardly seemed like national news at the time for league president Don Bozzuffi. He’d lost patience when two umpires resigned after persistent spectator abuse. So he wrote an updated code of conduct.
It specified: Any spectator deemed in violation would be banned from the complex until three umpiring assignments were completed. If not, the person would be barred from any Deptford youth sports facilities for a year.
In G-rated terms (unlike the ones that will get you tossed), the mandate just wants helicopter parents to calm the heck down. No 9-year-old will remember, as an adult, being safe or out on a bang-bang play at first. But how deep would be the cut of watching dad get tossed out of the game and banished for bad behavior?
The league doesn’t want to find out. “So far, it’s working like I’d hoped and just been a deterrent,” the 68-year-old Bozzuffi said.
The problem, though, isn’t limited to Deptford and its handful of unruly parents.
Outbursts of bad behavior at sporting events for young people have had frightening consequences for officials at all youth levels. Pick a town, any town, and there are adults assaulting referees or chasing umpires into parking lots looking for a fight, all available on the social feed of your choice.
The videos pop up almost weekly: inane instances of aggressive behavior toward officials. Like in January, when a Florida basketball referee was punched in the face after one game. Or last month, when an enraged youth baseball coach stormed a baseball field in Alabama and wrestled an umpire to the ground. Other adults and kids tried to break up the melee that took place in a game — at an 11-and-under tournament.
Jim McDevitt has worked as a volunteer Deptford umpire for 20 years. But he turns 66 this month and won’t call games much longer. He wonders where the next generation of officials will come from, especially when the job description includes little pay and lots of crap.
Dan Gelston, Associated Press
Umpire Jim McDevitt calls balls and strikes at a Deptford Little League game in Deptford, N.J., May 10. McDevitt has worked as a volunteer Deptford umpire for 20 years. But he turns 66 this month and won’t call games much longer.
Youth officiating is in crisis. According to a 2017 survey of by the National Association of Sports Officials, nearly 17,500 referees surveyed said parents caused the most problems with sportsmanship at 39%. Coaches came in at 29% and fans at 18%.
Barry Mano founded the association four decades ago to advocate for youth officials. Mano, whose brother Mark was an NBA referee, has watched fan conduct become “far worse” than he could have imagined.
“Sports is simply life with the volume turned up,” Mano says. “We’ve become louder and brasher. We always want a second opinion on things. That’s where the culture has gone. I don’t think we’re as civil as we used to be toward each other, and it plays out in the sporting venues.”
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Dan Gelston, Associated Press
A sign for the Deptford, N.J. Little League complex is shown, May 10.
In Deptford, things seem to be working — at least in attracting non-mandatory umps. Bozzuffi says that since his rule grabbed national headlines, three umpires have joined the league. More volunteers want to be trained.
And those who might get sentenced to umping? McDevitt puts it less delicately. “We’ll see how their sphincter feels when they have to make a tight call and the parents are all screaming and hollering at them.”
The Deptford Little League playoffs, a time when tensions rise, are under way, and Bozzuffi has urged his umps to show restraint. Bozzuffi, who has served as league president for 14 years and been connected to the league for 40, doesn’t want any fan to get ejected. He just wants to get them thinking.
Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP
Deptford Little League president Don Bozzuffi stands next to a Little League field in Deptford, N.J., on May 10. Deptford is trying to curb the appetite among the crowd watching 10- and 11-year-olds play baseball who curse at the unpaid volunteers behind the plate.Â
Because in a culture where violence visits schools, churches, movie theaters, clubs and many social gathering spots, the irate fan pressed against the fence spewing four-lettered tirades at the ump could easily escalate.
“People are just a little bit more sensitive to it,” said Sherrie Spencer, a lifelong Deptford resident who had two sons and grandsons play. She has noticed an uptick in abusive language to umpires through the years. “Now,” she says, “you have things that are going on in our world that people are more fearful when you see someone getting upset like that.”
Part of the problem is this: Thanks to technological advances, perfection in baseball can sometimes seem more attainable than ever.
In the major leagues, computers and their precision have become a vital part of baseball’s fabric. Gone are the days when a manager like Billy Martin or Earl Weaver would burst out of the dugout and kick up a cloud of dirt, curse a blue streak and maybe even walk away with a base or chuck one into the outfield over a missed call.
Blow one now? The manager barely reacts, asking for a replay review while a command center makes the dispassionate final call. Oh, and robo umps are coming. They’re already calling the shots in the minor leagues, with computerized strike zones that leave no room for argument. Where’s the messiness, the fallibility, the human emotion steeped in baseball tradition? Where’s the fun of baseball in umpire perfection?
Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP
Devon Goree watches his son's youth baseball game at the Deptford Little League complex in Deptford, N.J., May 10.
That’s not the way some parents see it. For many, every “safe!” when the tag is missed, every called strike on a pitch below the knees is another reason to blow a fuse in a youth sports culture full of hefty fees and travel teams that have already heightened financial and emotional attachment and encouraged a sense of parents as constituents who have a right to be heeded.
That’s why Deptford is experimenting with its attempt at preventative medicine. This is interdicting the parents before the kids get older. This is, at its core, potential assault prevention.
It’s getting attention all the way up the youth baseball chain. Little League President Stephen D. Keener had this to say: “We applaud the volunteers at Deptford Township Little League for coming up with a creative, fun solution to shine a light on the importance of treating everyone with respect, on and off the Little League field.”
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Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP
Umpire Brian Kennedy makes a call while officiating a game at the Deptford Little League complex in Deptford, N.J., on May 10.
OK. But here’s the fine print.
Beyond the headlines that suggest Fuming Father No. 1 is going to get the call from the bleachers and suddenly start ringing up strike three, there’s this: It’s too much effort. The risks! The potential safety problems! The insurance!
Bozzuffi and the town’s mayor teach a three-hour safety certification class each offender must complete before receiving an assignment. Rookie umps must pass a background check and complete an online concussion course. After all that, a qualified umpire would be stationed next to the replacement ump to ensure accuracy and fairness.
It hasn’t happened — yet.
“The first person that we have to do this to, nobody is else is going to challenge this,” Bozzuffi said. “Nobody wants to go through all this.”
So for now, at least on a recent weeknight in Deptford, parents, grandparents and friends, were on their best behavior. They cheered. They clapped. They caught up with neighbors.
They groused a bit, too. While other Little League officials across America reached out to Bozzuffi for input into their own policies, some fans in Deptford are sick of the perception that’s it’s a town full of baseball bullies.
One fan waved off an interview request because he “didn’t want to hear anymore about how bad we all are.” Parent Dawn Nacke found it unfair that the town was labeled as “obnoxious parents when we’re just caring about our kids.”
“We know that they ump for free,” she said, “but sometimes bad calls are made and they cost us the game.”
Has she ever been guilty of popping off too much?
“Mouthy, yes. But we all have to bite our tongues over here because of the new rule,” she said. “I just have to keep my mouth shut more. Scared me straight. I’m more angry that they call us obnoxious parents. That really upset me when I read it in the news. But this is their rule and I’m going to follow it.”
Just the way Deptford drew it up.
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Dust devil surprises youth baseball player in Florida. Watch umpire spring into action
Mitchell Layton // Getty Images
The beauty of sport is the unexpected. The oddity. The shock. The awe.
If you remove the unexpected from sport, you lose the drama. Sport would become boring, an exercise in stale storytelling. Baseball is no outlier in this regard.
While often criticized for its mundanities—games last three-plus hours when little of consequence happens, teams play 162 games per season, etc.—baseball has its share of wild moments. These sparks of excitement are events that send tremors of giddy joy into sports fans, whirling them far from the mundane.
Think Trea Turner's grand slam at this year's World Baseball Classic. Bill Buckner's error in the 1986 World Series. Or Bobby Thomson's "shot heard round the world" to clinch the 1951 National League pennant. No one could've predicted any of those before they happened. And, in hindsight, it makes little sense that they did happen.
Stacker wanted to analyze and grade such moments in baseball. We settled on finding the most unlikely pitching performances—great games by otherwise lackluster players—by delving into the data tomes of Baseball-Reference.com.
For this exploration, we only considered MLB pitching outings since 1969 (the start of the Divisional Era) and used a pitching-focused metric called game score. Developed by Bill James, game score rates starting pitchers on a variety of stats, including innings pitched, strikeouts, and hits allowed. Most game scores fall between 0 and 100, with 50 being average and higher being better.
To determine "unexpected performances," only pitchers who achieved a single great game in their career were included in this analysis (a game score of 80 or higher being counted as "great"). The average game score of a player's career was then subtracted from their best performance. Those with the largest differences between their career average and best performance were ranked higher on this list. All pitchers on this list gave up 0 earned runs in their best performance.
Read on to see which 10 performances made the cut as baseball's most unexpected.
You may also like: Best sports documentaries of all time
Mitchell Layton // Getty Images
The beauty of sport is the unexpected. The oddity. The shock. The awe.
If you remove the unexpected from sport, you lose the drama. Sport would become boring, an exercise in stale storytelling. Baseball is no outlier in this regard.
While often criticized for its mundanities—games last three-plus hours when little of consequence happens, teams play 162 games per season, etc.—baseball has its share of wild moments. These sparks of excitement are events that send tremors of giddy joy into sports fans, whirling them far from the mundane.
Think Trea Turner's grand slam at this year's World Baseball Classic. Bill Buckner's error in the 1986 World Series. Or Bobby Thomson's "shot heard round the world" to clinch the 1951 National League pennant. No one could've predicted any of those before they happened. And, in hindsight, it makes little sense that they did happen.
Stacker wanted to analyze and grade such moments in baseball. We settled on finding the most unlikely pitching performances—great games by otherwise lackluster players—by delving into the data tomes of Baseball-Reference.com.
For this exploration, we only considered MLB pitching outings since 1969 (the start of the Divisional Era) and used a pitching-focused metric called game score. Developed by Bill James, game score rates starting pitchers on a variety of stats, including innings pitched, strikeouts, and hits allowed. Most game scores fall between 0 and 100, with 50 being average and higher being better.
To determine "unexpected performances," only pitchers who achieved a single great game in their career were included in this analysis (a game score of 80 or higher being counted as "great"). The average game score of a player's career was then subtracted from their best performance. Those with the largest differences between their career average and best performance were ranked higher on this list. All pitchers on this list gave up 0 earned runs in their best performance.
Read on to see which 10 performances made the cut as baseball's most unexpected.
You may also like: Best sports documentaries of all time
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Dust devil surprises youth baseball player in Florida. Watch umpire spring into action
Doug Pensinger // Getty Images
- Date: September 3, 2003
- Result: Tampa Bay 7, Seattle 0
- Pitching line: 9 innings pitched, 2 hits allowed, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
- Game score: 88
- Career game score average: 43.2
- Difference: 44.8
Born and raised in St. Petersburg—the home city of the then-called Devil Rays—Doug Waechter attended Tampa Bay's inaugural game as a teenager in 1998. A year later, the franchise drafted him and this game marked his first-ever big league start.
With the hometown connection, this game was extra special. According to the Tampa Tribune, Waechter was the first player from the local Pinellas County to appear for the Rays. Waechter's shutout gem also took place on the birthday of his mother, who watched the game in the upper deck alongside numerous friends and family.
However, the rest of Waechter's career was less special. He spent the next three seasons journeying back and forth between the minors and the majors for Tampa Bay, and a shoulder injury in 2006 prevented him from becoming a major league regular. Waechter later did stints with the Florida Marlins and the Kansas City Royals before making his final major league appearance in 2009.
Doug Pensinger // Getty Images
- Date: September 3, 2003
- Result: Tampa Bay 7, Seattle 0
- Pitching line: 9 innings pitched, 2 hits allowed, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
- Game score: 88
- Career game score average: 43.2
- Difference: 44.8
Born and raised in St. Petersburg—the home city of the then-called Devil Rays—Doug Waechter attended Tampa Bay's inaugural game as a teenager in 1998. A year later, the franchise drafted him and this game marked his first-ever big league start.
With the hometown connection, this game was extra special. According to the Tampa Tribune, Waechter was the first player from the local Pinellas County to appear for the Rays. Waechter's shutout gem also took place on the birthday of his mother, who watched the game in the upper deck alongside numerous friends and family.
However, the rest of Waechter's career was less special. He spent the next three seasons journeying back and forth between the minors and the majors for Tampa Bay, and a shoulder injury in 2006 prevented him from becoming a major league regular. Waechter later did stints with the Florida Marlins and the Kansas City Royals before making his final major league appearance in 2009.
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Dust devil surprises youth baseball player in Florida. Watch umpire spring into action
Bettmann // Getty Images
- Date: May 30, 1971
- Result: Los Angeles Dodgers 2, Philadelphia 1 (12 innings)
- Pitching line: 11 innings pitched, 5 hits allowed, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
- Game score: 92
- Career game score average: 47.0
- Difference: 45.0
In just his second major league start, rookie Ken Reynolds gave up one unearned run through the first 11 innings, but Los Angeles nabbed the win after he exited. Post-loss, Philadelphia manager Frank Luchesi decried the pitiful offensive effort that failed to support Reynolds, telling the Philadelphia Inquirer the Phillies hit "like a bunch of Little Leaguers" and that Reynolds deserved the win: "What a masterpiece by a rookie pitcher, and we had five bleeping shots at them! You better believe I chewed them out!"
The southpaw played one more season in Philadelphia, then bounced between the minors and the majors as part of the Milwaukee, St. Louis, and San Diego franchises. Like Waechter, Reynolds dealt with injury—he had elbow surgery in 1974—which possibly stunted his major league potential, and he retired from playing ball in 1979 in favor of physical education teaching.
Bettmann // Getty Images
- Date: May 30, 1971
- Result: Los Angeles Dodgers 2, Philadelphia 1 (12 innings)
- Pitching line: 11 innings pitched, 5 hits allowed, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
- Game score: 92
- Career game score average: 47.0
- Difference: 45.0
In just his second major league start, rookie Ken Reynolds gave up one unearned run through the first 11 innings, but Los Angeles nabbed the win after he exited. Post-loss, Philadelphia manager Frank Luchesi decried the pitiful offensive effort that failed to support Reynolds, telling the Philadelphia Inquirer the Phillies hit "like a bunch of Little Leaguers" and that Reynolds deserved the win: "What a masterpiece by a rookie pitcher, and we had five bleeping shots at them! You better believe I chewed them out!"
The southpaw played one more season in Philadelphia, then bounced between the minors and the majors as part of the Milwaukee, St. Louis, and San Diego franchises. Like Waechter, Reynolds dealt with injury—he had elbow surgery in 1974—which possibly stunted his major league potential, and he retired from playing ball in 1979 in favor of physical education teaching.
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Dust devil surprises youth baseball player in Florida. Watch umpire spring into action
Bruce Bennett // Getty Images
- Date: September 20, 1986
- Result: Seattle 3, Kansas City 0
- Pitching line: 9 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts
- Game score: 87
- Career game score average: 41.5
- Difference: 45.5
Mike Trujillo pitched a sterling game against Kansas City, allowing only one hit—which happened in the first inning. While he came short of a no-hitter, the second–year major-leaguer appreciated that the Royals' hit came early. "If I'd had a no-hitter going into the ninth I would probably have had a nervous breakdown," Trujillo told the Tacoma News Tribune. "You might as well get out of the way early."
Despite the remarkable performance, Trujillo failed to stick in the big leagues and ultimately spent much of his five-year career floating between the minors and majors. Trujillo eventually retired in 1989 after stints with Boston, Seattle, and Detroit.
Bruce Bennett // Getty Images
- Date: September 20, 1986
- Result: Seattle 3, Kansas City 0
- Pitching line: 9 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts
- Game score: 87
- Career game score average: 41.5
- Difference: 45.5
Mike Trujillo pitched a sterling game against Kansas City, allowing only one hit—which happened in the first inning. While he came short of a no-hitter, the second–year major-leaguer appreciated that the Royals' hit came early. "If I'd had a no-hitter going into the ninth I would probably have had a nervous breakdown," Trujillo told the Tacoma News Tribune. "You might as well get out of the way early."
Despite the remarkable performance, Trujillo failed to stick in the big leagues and ultimately spent much of his five-year career floating between the minors and majors. Trujillo eventually retired in 1989 after stints with Boston, Seattle, and Detroit.
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Dust devil surprises youth baseball player in Florida. Watch umpire spring into action
Rick Stewart // Getty Images
- Date: August 27, 1979
- Result: Toronto 7, Oakland 0
- Pitching line: 9 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts
- Game score: 86
- Career game score average: 40.1
- Difference: 45.9
Another rookie, Phil Huffman took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Oakland got its first and only hit of the game. The Texas native was a bit of a surprise showing on Toronto's staff in 1979 as he wasn't on the team's spring training roster.
"He may never pitch a better ball game," Blue Jays manager Roy Hartsfield said after the game. He wasn't wrong: Huffman pitched six more times for Toronto in 1979—all losses—and was sent down to AAA the following season. He spent most of the rest of his career in the minors, save for a two-game cameo with the Baltimore Orioles in 1985.
Rick Stewart // Getty Images
- Date: August 27, 1979
- Result: Toronto 7, Oakland 0
- Pitching line: 9 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts
- Game score: 86
- Career game score average: 40.1
- Difference: 45.9
Another rookie, Phil Huffman took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Oakland got its first and only hit of the game. The Texas native was a bit of a surprise showing on Toronto's staff in 1979 as he wasn't on the team's spring training roster.
"He may never pitch a better ball game," Blue Jays manager Roy Hartsfield said after the game. He wasn't wrong: Huffman pitched six more times for Toronto in 1979—all losses—and was sent down to AAA the following season. He spent most of the rest of his career in the minors, save for a two-game cameo with the Baltimore Orioles in 1985.
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Dust devil surprises youth baseball player in Florida. Watch umpire spring into action
Diamond Images // Getty Images
- Date: May 27, 1971
- Result: St. Louis 10, Chicago Cubs 0
- Pitching line: 9 innings pitched, 2 hits allowed, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts
- Game score: 86
- Career game score average: 40.1
- Difference: 45.9
A certified veteran, Chris Zachary was 27 at the time of his magnum opus. Thanks to the Cardinals scoring 10 runs, he received the greatest offensive support compared to the other pitchers on this list. "It's a good feeling to get all those runs, I'll tell you," Zachary said post-game. "I've never had that feeling before in the big leagues."
Zachary was hardly ever a regular on a major league roster. He pitched 22 games for the Houston Colt .45s as a rookie in 1963 but then spent most of the next four seasons in AAA beyond a few scattered call-ups. 1971 and 1972 were his busiest back-to-back seasons in the Show—he appeared in 23 and 25 games, respectively—but his major league career ended for good after 1973.
You may also like: Every incomplete perfect game in baseball history
Diamond Images // Getty Images
- Date: May 27, 1971
- Result: St. Louis 10, Chicago Cubs 0
- Pitching line: 9 innings pitched, 2 hits allowed, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts
- Game score: 86
- Career game score average: 40.1
- Difference: 45.9
A certified veteran, Chris Zachary was 27 at the time of his magnum opus. Thanks to the Cardinals scoring 10 runs, he received the greatest offensive support compared to the other pitchers on this list. "It's a good feeling to get all those runs, I'll tell you," Zachary said post-game. "I've never had that feeling before in the big leagues."
Zachary was hardly ever a regular on a major league roster. He pitched 22 games for the Houston Colt .45s as a rookie in 1963 but then spent most of the next four seasons in AAA beyond a few scattered call-ups. 1971 and 1972 were his busiest back-to-back seasons in the Show—he appeared in 23 and 25 games, respectively—but his major league career ended for good after 1973.
You may also like: Every incomplete perfect game in baseball history
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Dust devil surprises youth baseball player in Florida. Watch umpire spring into action
Scott Halleran // Getty Images
- Date: May 23, 1999
- Result: Anaheim 4, Tampa Bay 0 (10 innings)
- Pitching line: 9 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 0 walks, 8 strikeouts
- Game score: 93
- Career game score average: 46.0
- Difference: 47.0
In just his fourth major league start, Ryan Rupe was brilliant, tossing nine innings of one-hit ball. However, his Devil Rays were less so—Tampa Bay managed a meager four hits and no runs offensively, and Anaheim stole the extra innings victory. Rupe took a no-hitter into the seventh, where he gave up a lead-off single. According to an article in the Tampa Tribune, Rupe had a history of arm problems, which contributed to why he was pulled as the game entered extra innings.
Rupe started 24 games for Tampa Bay during the 1999 season and spent a total of four seasons with the ballclub. His major league career ended in 2004 with the Boston Red Sox and then he spent several years in the minors, plus a year overseas in Japan.
Scott Halleran // Getty Images
- Date: May 23, 1999
- Result: Anaheim 4, Tampa Bay 0 (10 innings)
- Pitching line: 9 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 0 walks, 8 strikeouts
- Game score: 93
- Career game score average: 46.0
- Difference: 47.0
In just his fourth major league start, Ryan Rupe was brilliant, tossing nine innings of one-hit ball. However, his Devil Rays were less so—Tampa Bay managed a meager four hits and no runs offensively, and Anaheim stole the extra innings victory. Rupe took a no-hitter into the seventh, where he gave up a lead-off single. According to an article in the Tampa Tribune, Rupe had a history of arm problems, which contributed to why he was pulled as the game entered extra innings.
Rupe started 24 games for Tampa Bay during the 1999 season and spent a total of four seasons with the ballclub. His major league career ended in 2004 with the Boston Red Sox and then he spent several years in the minors, plus a year overseas in Japan.
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Dust devil surprises youth baseball player in Florida. Watch umpire spring into action
Doug Pensinger // Getty Images
- Date: July 8, 2003
- Result: Cleveland 4, New York Yankees 0
- Pitching line: 9 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 0 walks, 5 strikeouts
- Game score: 90
- Career game score average: 42.1
- Difference: 47.9
In the Associated Press recap of the game, Traber was described as "fast, focused, and nearly flawless." His stat line certainly echoed that; he shut down the Bronx Bombers, dealing to just one batter above the minimum. This outing was his only major league complete game.
Injury doomed Traber from reaching his major league potential—he had Tommy John surgery after the 2003 season and spent the entire next season rehabbing. The southpaw plied his trade in the minors in 2005 before spending two years with the Washington Nationals. Traber then pitched 19 games in relief with the Yankees in 2008 and one with the Boston Red Sox in 2009, but otherwise was a minor league fixture.
Doug Pensinger // Getty Images
- Date: July 8, 2003
- Result: Cleveland 4, New York Yankees 0
- Pitching line: 9 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 0 walks, 5 strikeouts
- Game score: 90
- Career game score average: 42.1
- Difference: 47.9
In the Associated Press recap of the game, Traber was described as "fast, focused, and nearly flawless." His stat line certainly echoed that; he shut down the Bronx Bombers, dealing to just one batter above the minimum. This outing was his only major league complete game.
Injury doomed Traber from reaching his major league potential—he had Tommy John surgery after the 2003 season and spent the entire next season rehabbing. The southpaw plied his trade in the minors in 2005 before spending two years with the Washington Nationals. Traber then pitched 19 games in relief with the Yankees in 2008 and one with the Boston Red Sox in 2009, but otherwise was a minor league fixture.
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Dust devil surprises youth baseball player in Florida. Watch umpire spring into action
Layne Murdoch // Getty Images
- Date: April 21, 2012
- Result: Chicago 4, Seattle 0
- Pitching line: 9 innings pitched, 0 hits allowed, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts
- Game score: 96
- Career game score average: 47.3
- Difference: 48.7
Before entering baseball's history books with this perfect game, Humber had a long slog to reach a regular major league roster. He struggled to adapt after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2005 and received occasional call-ups as part of the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, and Kansas City Royals franchises before being added to the White Sox's rotation in 2011. That season, he flirted with no-hitters twice, but both times Humber left in the seventh inning after surrendering at least one hit.
While he showed flashes of potential during his career, Humber faded into obscurity after his perfect game. In 2013, he signed with the Houston Astros but went 0-8 in a starting role and bounced out of the major leagues before retiring from baseball altogether in 2016.
Post-career, Humber bemoaned how his perfect game may have ultimately hurt his career. "Everything that could go wrong after that did go wrong," he said in 2020 on NBC Chicago's White Sox Talk Podcast. "It probably had more of a negative impact on my career than it had a positive impact because every game after that was measured against that perfect game."
Layne Murdoch // Getty Images
- Date: April 21, 2012
- Result: Chicago 4, Seattle 0
- Pitching line: 9 innings pitched, 0 hits allowed, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts
- Game score: 96
- Career game score average: 47.3
- Difference: 48.7
Before entering baseball's history books with this perfect game, Humber had a long slog to reach a regular major league roster. He struggled to adapt after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2005 and received occasional call-ups as part of the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, and Kansas City Royals franchises before being added to the White Sox's rotation in 2011. That season, he flirted with no-hitters twice, but both times Humber left in the seventh inning after surrendering at least one hit.
While he showed flashes of potential during his career, Humber faded into obscurity after his perfect game. In 2013, he signed with the Houston Astros but went 0-8 in a starting role and bounced out of the major leagues before retiring from baseball altogether in 2016.
Post-career, Humber bemoaned how his perfect game may have ultimately hurt his career. "Everything that could go wrong after that did go wrong," he said in 2020 on NBC Chicago's White Sox Talk Podcast. "It probably had more of a negative impact on my career than it had a positive impact because every game after that was measured against that perfect game."
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Dust devil surprises youth baseball player in Florida. Watch umpire spring into action
Markus Boesch // Getty Images
- Date: July 14, 1972
- Result: Cleveland 2, Texas 0 (14 innings)
- Pitching line: 11 innings pitched, 3 hits allowed, 0 walks, 10 strikeouts
- Game score: 101
- Career game score average: 49.5
- Difference: 51.5
Like the other losing-effort pitchers on this list, Mike Paul's razzle-dazzle on the mound suffered from a lack of offensive support. Paul pitched to the minimum number of batters through seven innings, but apathetic Ranger bats did little to help. Eventually, he was pulled after 11 innings, and the Indians—Paul's former ballclub—snagged the win in the 14th.
This outing came during Paul's generally solid 1972 season when he posted the sixth-best ERA in the American League. However, the rest of his career was rather pedestrian.
Before 1972, Paul spent four seasons with Cleveland and compiled a 14-33 record. He went on to struggle in 1973, prompting the Rangers to trade Paul to the Chicago Cubs. Paul played just 13 games before the Windy City ballclub released him midseason in 1974. Never reaching the majors again, he finished his out career in the Mexican League and retired after the 1982 season.
Markus Boesch // Getty Images
- Date: July 14, 1972
- Result: Cleveland 2, Texas 0 (14 innings)
- Pitching line: 11 innings pitched, 3 hits allowed, 0 walks, 10 strikeouts
- Game score: 101
- Career game score average: 49.5
- Difference: 51.5
Like the other losing-effort pitchers on this list, Mike Paul's razzle-dazzle on the mound suffered from a lack of offensive support. Paul pitched to the minimum number of batters through seven innings, but apathetic Ranger bats did little to help. Eventually, he was pulled after 11 innings, and the Indians—Paul's former ballclub—snagged the win in the 14th.
This outing came during Paul's generally solid 1972 season when he posted the sixth-best ERA in the American League. However, the rest of his career was rather pedestrian.
Before 1972, Paul spent four seasons with Cleveland and compiled a 14-33 record. He went on to struggle in 1973, prompting the Rangers to trade Paul to the Chicago Cubs. Paul played just 13 games before the Windy City ballclub released him midseason in 1974. Never reaching the majors again, he finished his out career in the Mexican League and retired after the 1982 season.
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Dust devil surprises youth baseball player in Florida. Watch umpire spring into action
Bruce Kluckhohn // Getty Images
- Date: September 5, 2011
- Result: Chicago 4, Minnesota 0
- Pitching line: 9 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts
- Game score: 94
- Career game score average: 36.8
- Difference: 57.2
The most unexpected MLB pitching performance, by quite a distance, was by Zach Stewart. He is the only pitcher on this list with an average career game score below 40. Such mediocrity makes his glittering one-hit gem all the more surprising.
Stewart was a rookie in 2011 and started three games for Toronto before the Blue Jays traded him to the Chicago White Sox in July. In this contest, Stewart was perfect through seven innings, giving up his lone hit to lead off the eighth inning. He then finished out the game by retiring the final six Minnesota batters.
"It was a lot of fun. It was just one of those things," Stewart said after the game, per the Associated Press. "In the 'pen, the ball was coming out good. I could tell it was going to be somewhat of a good night. I didn't know it was going to be that good. But it just felt good from the beginning."
In 2012, he pitched in 18 games for the White Sox, but poor performance prompted the ballclub to trade him to Boston. Stewart started twice for the Red Sox, but both outings were nightmarish. In his first game, he only lasted three innings while giving up nine earned runs. In his second, Stewart gave up five earned runs in just two and two-thirds innings. He never played in the majors again.
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Bruce Kluckhohn // Getty Images
- Date: September 5, 2011
- Result: Chicago 4, Minnesota 0
- Pitching line: 9 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts
- Game score: 94
- Career game score average: 36.8
- Difference: 57.2
The most unexpected MLB pitching performance, by quite a distance, was by Zach Stewart. He is the only pitcher on this list with an average career game score below 40. Such mediocrity makes his glittering one-hit gem all the more surprising.
Stewart was a rookie in 2011 and started three games for Toronto before the Blue Jays traded him to the Chicago White Sox in July. In this contest, Stewart was perfect through seven innings, giving up his lone hit to lead off the eighth inning. He then finished out the game by retiring the final six Minnesota batters.
"It was a lot of fun. It was just one of those things," Stewart said after the game, per the Associated Press. "In the 'pen, the ball was coming out good. I could tell it was going to be somewhat of a good night. I didn't know it was going to be that good. But it just felt good from the beginning."
In 2012, he pitched in 18 games for the White Sox, but poor performance prompted the ballclub to trade him to Boston. Stewart started twice for the Red Sox, but both outings were nightmarish. In his first game, he only lasted three innings while giving up nine earned runs. In his second, Stewart gave up five earned runs in just two and two-thirds innings. He never played in the majors again.
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