Here’s a rewritten version of the content in my own words:
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Welcome to Snyder’s Soapbox, your weekly dose of opinions and discussions about Major League Baseball. Some topics are urgent, some seem minor in the bigger picture, while many fall somewhere in the middle. The best part? This site is free and easily accessible. You’ll be better informed for checking it out—that’s a promise. Let’s dive in.
This summer, a friend sparked a fascinating baseball debate for me, inspired by my son Rodney. Imagine a pitcher who dominates the game completely, allowing no runners on base through nine innings – a perfect game in progress. The score remains tied at 0-0, and the game moves into extra innings. Now, picture the team sending that pitcher back out for the 10th inning. It sounds unlikely today, but try to enjoy a bit of humor with this scenario.
As fans know, MLB’s current extra-inning rules place an automatic runner on second base to start overtime. This means our once flawless pitcher now faces a runner on base without having allowed any during the regular innings. The opposing team bunts to advance the runner to third and then scores on a sacrifice fly, despite the pitcher striking out the next batter and the defense not committing any errors, even with a questionable throw. Unfortunately, his team fails to score in the bottom of the 10th.
The pitcher faced 30 batters total and struck out every one, but still took the loss after allowing an unearned run.
So the question arises: Was this still a perfect game?
During the 2020 season, MLB ruled that no-hitters in seven-inning doubleheaders would not count officially, signaling their awareness that rule quirks can create debates. The 2025 MLB Official Rulebook, which details all statistical rules across 40 pages, does not define what constitutes a perfect game. The rule that covers automatic runners on second describes them as runners who reached base due to an error but without any error being charged.
By definition, if a runner is considered to have reached due to an error, the game is not perfect unless a formal error is assigned to the defense.
With no clear guidance, it seems likely the Commissioner’s office would have to weigh in if such a game occurred. This is another example of MLB being reactive rather than proactive concerning rules and records.
Until this actually happens, it’s just hypothetical, but imagine the uncertainty after the last out—would the perfect game be official?
No existing rule answers this, so feel free to pick your stance.
In my opinion, it’s a perfect game—the pitcher faced 30 batters and struck them all out.
But others might argue differently—how can a pitcher have a perfect game and lose? Doesn’t a loss spoil the perfection?
This is a paradox worth discussing among baseball fans.
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Fan Take: This scenario matter because it challenges traditional definitions of pitching excellence, urging MLB to clarify rules in an era of evolving gameplay. For fans, it’s a fascinating puzzle that highlights how the sport must adapt and define what “perfect” truly means in the modern game.
