She throws a perfecto and loses

No, it's not.

 

Hey, it went past the guy, right?

 

You should hate all your so-called hitters, too.

 

Ok, you're right. I was thinking it was because there can be unearned runs scored from passed balls.

 

I get that she didn't allow a base runner, but I have a hard time calling it a perfect game because within the rule of the tiebreaker an error occurred and a run scored as a result. She got the loss, right? Just seems like completing the game within the rules without a blemish sort of falls within a perfect definition. If it's solely on base runners then, yes, I guess it was perfect.

 

I posed this to a student of mine who is a pitcher, and will go on to play at a D-III school next year. She was even torn on whether to call it a perfect game. I thought she'd just automatically say it was, but she saw both sides.

 

I don't have a high school softball rule book, but the NCAA softball rules seem to say she would get credit for a perfect game in college.
"A pitcher is credited with a perfect game when she faces the minimum number of BATTERS (my caps) required for the number of innings played, none of whom reach any base safely."
Also, any run scored by a player who starts at second base under the tiebreaker rule "shall be charged to the defensive team and not the pitcher."

I also can see both sides.

 

It doesn't get scored as a wild pitch if no one advances.

 

Interesting. How often do they use this tiebreaker in college? I've never seen it, at least in D-I and games I've covered, but there could be a early season tournament or something where it's used to save time. Lower levels might more, I guess. So if the run goes to the team does a decision as well? Seems goofy. Within the rules a run scored on that pitcher pitching whether she put the runner on base or not. But maybe I'm being picky.

 

Yes, but if you come in as a reliever with a runner on base, that runner is not your responsibility. So why should a runner placed at second be your responsibility?

 

But the wild pitch was, and that right there should kill the perfect game even if the runner wasn't her responsibility. I know you can argue that the wild pitch wouldn't have mattered if the runner wasn't there but the runner was, a run scored and the game isn't perfect as a result. I guess the team doesn't get the perfect game and she does? It's all running around in circles. Obviously the rule says it's a perfect game for the pitcher. Doesn't mean it has to feel natural!

 

An error doesn't necessarily ruin a perfect game. If there's a foul popup and the catcher drops it and is charged with an error but the pitcher still retires the batter (along with the other 20 or 26 batters) it's still a perfect game.