Perfection Achieved

So today looked like it would be a great day of sports for a few reasons, and it still will be, but Philip Humber stole the show in Seattle. A game that nobody outside of Seattle and Chicago probably saw in its entirety (because, God forbid, we miss the Red Sox and the Yankees) went from just another April baseball game to a historic one. Philip Humber went 9 innings, faced 27 batters, and retired them all in order. In baseball lingo, that would be referred to as a perfect game.
One thing that cannot be disputed about baseball in comparison to our other professonal sports is its history. It has been around since the 1800's, and what Humber did today has only been done 21 times during that long history. No-hitters are great, but sometimes those can be skewed by walks and/or errors. In 2010, I watched Edwin Jackson throw a no-hitter for my Diamondbacks despite walking eight batters. If not for a zero in that hit column, eight walks would have been looked at as a terrible putching effort. Jackson threw 150 pitches, almost half of which were balls, however the game still ended with the Rays not producing one hit, and what Jackson did was still something that is one of the greatest things a Major League pitcher can do.
The difference between a perfect game and a no-hitter is quite significant in my eyes though. A perfect game means exactly what its name implies: perfection. The pitcher has to be brilliant, but his defense and teammates have to be flawless as well. 27 up, 27 down. While Fox regrettably didn't let most of us watch Humber until the 9th inning, he had to be awesome all day to do what he did. In comparison to Jackson, Humber got through the game throwing 96 pitches, and that included a strenuous 9th inning in which he went to a full count on two of the three batters. At one stretch during the middle innings, Humber retired nine batters by throwing only 20 pitches, which in terms of Major League Baseball, is outstanding.
The 9th inning was edge-of-your-seat baseball, but Humber pushed through as the entire nation was watching. The last out was recorded on a check swing strikeout of Brendan Ryan on a full count that seemed to be somewhat questionable, but I think, honestly, Brian Runge (the home plate umpire) was trying to avoid a Jim Joyce/Armando Galarraga situation in which the 27th out of a perfect game was ruined on a controversial call. We never actually saw a replay of the check swing to get a second look, but its a moot point now. No matter the way the last out was recorded, you can't argue with the result.
Looking at the list of perfect games thrown throughout Major League Baseball history is, in some ways, looking back at some of the best to ever do it. Sandy Koufax, Randy Johnson, Roy Halladay, Cy Young, and what I believe is easily the best pitching performance ever, Don Larsen in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. Dallas Braden threw one in 2010, and he has not done much else in his Major League career. Monte Ward also threw one in 1880 in a game between the Providence Grays and Buffalo Bisons (both cities that have not had Major League teams in many years). However, no matter the rest of the career, the 21 times a perfect game has been thrown are 21 games that will never be forgotten.
Humber was drafted out of Rice University, where he was very good, but then he bounced around from the Mets to the Twins to the Royals and now to the White Sox. As a prospect, he was somewhat highly thought of, but until now he was nothing more than a middle of the road pitcher. So while we won't know where Humber will go from here, he now finds himself in what is probably the most exclusive club in all the Major Leagues. So when you get that trivia question many years from now about the only pitchers to throw perfect games, some of the names will be easily recognizable as some of the best to ever do it, but a few will be less-known. Humber is only 29, so he still has many years left to play, but for now, at the very least, he can say he had his day in history on April 21, 2012.

Daily Rangers Update: Game 5 is underway in the second period with the Senators up 1-0. A loss today means heading back to Ottawa with the Senators one win away from winning the series, so hopefully someone can kick-start the offense and put the series in our hands. Let's Go Rangers!
Daily Diamondbacks Update: The offense really struggled last night, and it is clear that without Chris Young and Justin Upton, the rest of the lineup is not nearly as dangerous. To add to the pain, Daniel Hudson went on the 15-day disabled list today, so we will need someone to fill his spot in the rotation. We could see Wade Miley fill that role, or we could see one of the young guns come up from the minor leagues. Either way, we can't let this snowball into an extended losing streak. The third game of a four game series is just underway, with the game tied 1-1 in the first inning. Upton actually just hit a double which is more than he has done pretty much all year. Hopefully his thumb injury won't linger.
Daily Giants Update: By this time next week, we will have a few young new members of the team. Jerry Reese has had a history of great drafts, so hopefully this year will be no different for the champs.