Yes, I do know this is a blog about the Nationals. However, in being a blog about the Nationals, it's also a blog about baseball as a whole. By that logic, I'm going to drop some knowledge about Mark Buehrle's perfect game yesterday and still manage to be relevant:
- No pitcher has thrown more than one perfect game in his career, and only six (including Mark Buehrle) have pitched both a perfect game and a no-hitter.
- Before yesterday, the most recent perfect game was thrown on May 18, 2004. With 2,430 games played each season, two starting pitchers per game, that makes 4,860 opportunities for a perfect game each season. 4,860 opportunities per year times five years means there were about 24,300 opportunities for perfect games between these perfect games, but a perfect game wasn't thrown.
- Pitching a perfect game is revered even among other professional baseball players. Just ask the Phillies, who were pretty excited watching the game in the clubhouse.
- No other perfect game was pitched against an offense as potent as the Rays, who are third in total runs scored. Most other teams perfected were at the bottom of the offensive spectrum.
- Buehrle's perfect game was only the 18th in the 132 years organized baseball has been played in the US. That means more people have orbited the moon (24) than have pitched a perfect game. In the 388,364 games played in the history of baseball, only 17 others were pitched this well.
As fans, we are often guilty of forgetting just how difficult the game of baseball is. In a game where perfection is expected and a single mistake by a single player can cost the game, we forget how difficult it is to achieve true perfection. Congratulations, Mark Buehrle (props also due to Dewayne Wise for an incredible catch).
Nationals news begins after the jump!
Josh Wilkie was promoted to Syracuse, after putting up a 2.37 ERA over 34 games with Harrisburg.
FJB finished up their scientific investigation of the Nationals and concluded that the Nationals are a better team than the Mets.
In an overly dramatic moment, crew chief Dana DeMuth said that they "lost the field" last night and had to call the game due to rain. I'd say that Napoleon "lost the field" at Waterloo, or the English "lost the field" at the Battle of Hastings, but I don't know that I'd say the same about a baseball field and a little bit of precipitation.
MLBTradeRumors is reporting that the Cubs are interested in Beimel and the Giants are interested in a number of Nationals. Seven days left, gentlemen!