Felix Hernandez stood the mound with his leg in the air and his arms exulted over his head in triumph. The Mariners’ ace had just pitched the 23rd perfect game in baseball history (albeit the third one this season), further stamping his resume as not only one of the best pitchers in the game today, but of the recent era as well.
Like so many batterymates before them, Hernandez and Jaso embrace after the last out of the Mariners perfect game victory over the Rays. (Photo: AP)
As Hernandez celebrated alone, John Jaso, his catcher, went racing toward him. The 28-year old backstop, who previously spent parts of nine seasons in the minors before arriving in Seattle, wanted to be the first to congratulate Hernandez, but when the two men met behind the mound, they shared more than just an embrace. If only for that moment, some of the spotlight shined on Jaso as well.
Although it is the pitcher who rightly receives the lion’s share of the praise for throwing a perfect game, the catcher also plays an important role. After all, countless pitchers have gone out of the way to share credit with their backstops after a well pitched game (and just as many have been more than happy to share the blame after a bad outing), so a perfect game should be no different. And, sure enough, that’s exactly what Hernandez did in the postgame. Granted, some of the deflection was probably obligatory modesty, which for many seems to come from a great achievement, but the interplay between a pitcher and catcher is perhaps one of the most misunderstood elements of the game, at least among those who haven’t experienced it. It’s impossible to determine just how much of a role Jason played in executing what turned out to be a perfect game plan, but if Hernandez appreciated his effort, who are we to disagree?
The following list is presented in honor of the 22 catchers (Ron Hassey caught two) who have been behind the plate for a perfect game. By no means do they deserve equal credit, but their contributions should be noted, and what better way to do that than side-by-side with the pitcher who ended the game leaping into their arms?
Perfect Game Batterymates
Note: Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series is the only one ever thrown in the postseason.
Source: baseball-reference.com, baseballalmanac.com
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