Tigers, Ex-Tigers Pitchers, and Near Perfect Games

Former Detroit Tigers’ pitcher, the mercenary but talented Max Scherzer, was one strike from a perfect game when the current Nationals’ pitcher, who took the money and went from Detroit to the Washington Nationals, was ruled to have hit pinch hitter Jose Tabata of the Pittsburgh Pirates with the (2-2) pitch in a game last Saturday.

Scherzer did retire Josh Harrison to record a no hitter and has in fact yielded but 1 hit in his last two starts, something only Johnny Vander Meer topped, with back to back no hitters in 1938, in the category of least hits allowed in 2 straight complete game starts.

I recall two Detroit Tigers pitchers were also one out away from a perfect game when they were denied not only the perfect game, but the no hitter as well.

In 1983, Milt Wilcox was one out away from a perfect game when Jerry Hairston of the Chicago White Sox got a base hit to break up the perfect game and no hit bid.

In 2010 Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga appeared to have tossed a perfect game but a clear error in judgment by umpire Jim Joyce denied Galarraga not only a perfect game but the no hitter as well.

For the record the batter was Jason Donald of the Cleveland Indians, who when called safe erroneously by Joyce, was credited with a hit.