StatBadger

In 1968, baseball was a pitcher’s game.

Batting averages were at an all-time low. Seven pitchers hit the 20-win mark, and one surpassed 30. When Bob Gibson posted a 1.12 ERA through more than 300 innings pitched, it became clear a change was in order.

As Bob Addie wrote for the Washington Post, “There is ample evidence that the public is getting a wee bit tired of all these ‘pitchers duels.’”

In December of that year, the mound was lowered 10 inches.

Before long, balance returned to America’s pastime. Batting averages and runs per game rose to healthy numbers. Offense hit its homer-happy zenith when the Steroid Era rolled around in the mid-90s, and in the years since, the game has largely remained characterized by the long ball.

While Addie may have been right, it feels like the pendulum has now swung the other direction. We live in a world of closely monitored pitch counts, fixations on matchups, and an abundance of elite bullpen arms. It’s no surprise most starts last fewer than six innings, and even the best are liable to get cut short after that dreaded hundredth pitch.

Suffice to say, I think we’d like to see more of those performances of the past. If that describes you, this is your list.

Now, there’s no black-and-white way to compile the best pitching performances since the mound was lowered. If you limit the list to perfect games, you place pitchers at fault for errors committed by their teammates. If you limit the list to no-hitters, you forfeit some of the most strikeout-heavy performances (and there’s something to be said about not making your defense work).

While there’s no definitive solution, there is a metric designed for this very purpose. Game Score, developed by Bill James in 1988, uses a simple formula to evaluate pitching performances. The formula is as follows:

• Start with 50 points
• +1 per out recorded
• +1 per strikeout
• +2 per inning pitched after the fourth
• -1 per walk
• -2 per hit allowed
• -2 per unearned run
• -4 per earned run

The formula is more fun than it is scientific, but it’s proven to be a surprisingly decent way of evaluating performances over the years. In fact, if you compile the top shutouts pitched since 1968, it’s hard to argue with the results. Just see for yourself.

T-5.

Nolan Ryan, Rangers vs. Blue Jays (May 1, 1991)

9 IP, 0 H, 16 SO, 2 BB

Game Score: 101

Shockingly, Nolan Ryan pitched what may have been the best game of his career at age 44. This was the last of Ryan’s record seven no-hitters, and his 711th game started. Few players play into their forties. The Ryan Express, though, was running at full steam.

Ryan dominated this game from start to finish, recording a strikeout in each inning. The opposing lineup was no cakewalk, either — Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar would each finish in the top six in MVP voting, and the team would make it to the ALCS only to fall to the Twins, the eventual World Series champions.

If that doesn’t say enough about this performance, consider that Ryan pitched it on four days of rest instead of five. He felt he owed it to Rangers fans to make an appearance on Arlington Appreciation Night.

Well, an appearance it was.

T-5.

Matt Cain, Giants vs. Astros (June 13, 2012)

9 IP, 0 H, 14 SO, 0 BB

Game Score: 101

Every perfect game has its story. This one was characterized by a matchup that was as lopsided as any that season. The Giants would go on to win the World Series, while the Astros would finish with an MLB-worst record of 55-107. About as much was reflected by how the teams fared that day.

Cain threw 14 strikeouts, tying Sandy Koufax’s record for the most in a perfect game. The Giants, meanwhile, heaped 10 runs on the struggling Astros. The closest thing Houston had to a moral victory was making Cain throw 125 pitches, the most in any perfect game… and that’s not exactly bulletin board material.

Cain’s career waned after that season, but for one summer day in 2012, he was untouchable.

4.

Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers vs. Rockies (June 18, 2014)

9 IP, 0 H, 15 SO, 0 BB

Game Score: 102

It’s unsurprising that Clayton Kershaw threw a no-hitter during his Hall-of-Fame-worthy career. To come one error away from a perfect game, though, was quite the leap.

This took place at the height of Kershaw’s prime. In the three years prior, he had won the Cy Young Award twice and finished second in the voting once (when, by the way, he bested the award winner’s ERA, WHIP, and bWAR). In 2014, Kershaw posted a 1.77 ERA and 0.857 WHIP en route to 21-3 record. It was one of the best pitching seasons in MLB history, culminating in Kershaw’s third Cy Young Award as well as MVP honors.

It’s somewhat of a pity that an error prevented this performance from being a perfect game. In the seventh inning, shortstop Hanley Ramírez handled a chopper up the middle but bounced the throw to first. The error certainly blemished Kershaw’s stat sheet, but by another way of looking at it, he did enough to retire 28 batters in a row that day.

3.

Jose DeLeon, Cardinals vs. Reds (August 30, 1989)

11 IP, 1 H, 8 SO, 0 BB

Game Score: 103

Okay, I cheated here. This wasn’t technically a shutout, as DeLeon didn’t throw a complete game. In fact, he didn’t even record a win. In August of 1989, Jose DeLeon hurled one of the best pitching performances in MLB history only for his team to lose 0-2 after 13 innings.

It was a tale of two sides of the ball for the Cardinals that day. DeLeon, for his part, cruised through 11 innings in 109 pitches (the opposing starter, Rick Mahler, totaled 156 pitches in one fewer inning of work). The Cardinals lineup, though, squandered every opportunity they got on offense. They went 0-6 with runners in scoring position while DeLeon was in the game, and 0-5 in such situations after he left.

Two innings after DeLeon took a seat for Todd Worrell, the game was lost. Even still, DeLeon’s outing remains one to remember.

2.

Max Scherzer, Nationals at Mets (October 3, 2015)

9 IP, 0 H, 17 SO, 0 BB

Game Score: 104

Like Kershaw, a lone error kept Scherzer from writing his name on the short list of pitchers to throw a perfect game. This one came in the sixth inning, when third baseman Yunel Escobar fielded a sharply hit ground ball but threw a short hop to first. Regardless, this performance stands out for a couple reasons.

For one, it was against the home team (the only such performance on this list). Additionally, that home team was the formidable Mets, who would go on to play in the World Series. And, while it doesn’t speak to this performance itself, it’s also interesting to note that this was Scherzer’s second no-hitter of the season.

To put it simply, this was one of the game’s best pitchers, at the height of his abilities, facing off against one of the best teams in the league in their own ballpark. It was set to be a heavyweight battle. Instead, it was more like was a first-round knockout.

Scherzer’s 17 strikeouts lead all performances with a Game Score of 101 or better since 1968 — that is, except one.

1.

Kerry Wood, Cubs vs. Astros (May 6, 1998)

9 IP, 1 H, 20 SO, 0 BB

Game Score: 105

Perhaps the greatest game ever pitched was neither a perfect game nor a no-hitter. In this game, Wood hit one batter and allowed one hit — a ground ball that infamously escaped the glove of third baseman Kevin Orie.

Like Scherzer’s performance, this was against an extremely competitive team. The Astros ended the season with a record of 102-60. Their lineup included future Hall of Famers Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell, plus Moisés Alou, who would finish third in MVP voting that year. The Astros would end the season ranked third in the National League in OPS, second in batting average, and first in RBI. Needless to say, this was quite the matchup for a 20-year old rookie.

Prior to this game, Wood had only four big league starts to his name — and an ugly 5.89 ERA to show for them. Before the day was over, though, Kerry Wood would be a household name among baseball fans across America.

In sheer dominance, Wood struck out 20 of the 29 batters he faced. He wasted no time retiring his opponents, striking out 11 of his 20 victims with one ball or fewer. For 122 pitches, Wood broke the composure of one of the most disciplined batting teams in the league, painting corners with his fastball and throwing curves that moved like wiffle balls — all while requiring fewer outs from balls in play than there were position players on the field.

Kerry Wood’s epic 20-strikeout game remains the standard against which other pitching performances are measured. We are yet to see another like it.