Len Barker's perfect game

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox baseball game

|game = Len Barker's perfect game

|image = Len Barker Cleveland Indians.jpg

|caption = Len Barker pitched the 10th perfect game in Major{{nbsp}}League{{nbsp}}Baseball history.

|visitor = Toronto Blue Jays

|top1 = 0

|top2 = 0

|top3 = 0

|top4 = 0

|top5 = 0

|top6 = 0

|top7 = 0

|top8 = 0

|top9 = 0

|visitor_r = 0

|visitor_h = 0

|visitor_e = 3

|visitor_total = 0

|home = Cleveland Indians

|bot1 = 2

|bot2 = 0

|bot3 = 0

|bot4 = 0

|bot5 = 0

|bot6 = 0

|bot7 = 0

|bot8 = 1

|bot9 = X

|home_r = 3

|home_h = 7

|home_e = 0

|home_total = 3

|date = May 15, 1981

|venue = Cleveland Stadium

|city = Cleveland, Ohio

|manager_visitor = Bobby Mattick

|manager_home = Dave Garcia

|umpires ={{unbulleted list

|HP: Rich Garcia

|1B: Greg Kosc

|2B: Don Denkinger (cc)

|3B: Jim McKean

}}

|MVP_team =

|MVP =

|attendance =

|first_pitch =

|radio = Cleveland:
WWWE (3WE) 1100 AM

|radio_announcers = Cleveland:
Herb Score and Nev Chandler

|television = Cleveland:
WUAB channel 43

|tv_announcers = Cleveland:
Joe Tait and Bruce Drennan

}}

On May 15, 1981, Len Barker of the Cleveland Indians threw a perfect game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Cleveland Stadium, the 10th perfect game in Major League Baseball history.{{cite web|author=Bruce Newman |url=http://si.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1124496/index.htm |title=Cleveland's Len Barker promised only a no-hitter |publisher=SI.com |date=1981-05-25 |access-date=2014-01-22}} The Indians defeated the Blue Jays 3–0, as Barker did not allow a baserunner.{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/baseballs_best/mlb_bb_gamepage.jsp?story_page=bb_81reg_051581_torcle|title=Pitcher Perfect: Len Barker tosses MLB's ninth perfect game|date=May 15, 1981|work=mlb.com|access-date=2009-06-04}} Barker never once reached ball three against any Blue Jay hitter. He struck out 11 Blue Jays hitters (all of them swinging) including seven of the last 11 batters.{{cite web|author=Matt Crossman |url=http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2011-05-15/thirty-years-later-len-barker-recalls-perfect-game |title=Thirty years later, Len Barker recalls perfect game |publisher=Sporting News |date=2011-05-15 |access-date=2014-01-22}}

Barker's perfect game is the most recent no-hitter thrown by a Cleveland pitcher.{{cite news|url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1137746/25/26/index.htm |title=Most Recent No-Hitters by Team |work=SI Vault |access-date=2009-06-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202041030/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1137746/25/26/index.htm |archive-date=2008-12-02 }} "I run into people almost every day who want to talk about it," Barker said in 2006. "Everyone says, 'You're probably tired of talking about it.' I say, 'No, it's something to be proud of.' It's a special thing."{{cite news| url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0805/mlb.no.hitters.by.team/content.26.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526225323/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0805/mlb.no.hitters.by.team/content.26.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=May 26, 2008 | work=CNN | title=Brewers | access-date=May 7, 2010}} The Cleveland Guardians have the longest active no-hitter drought in MLB.

Barker was the first perfect game pitcher who did not come to bat during the entire game, with the American League having adopted the designated hitter in 1973.

Ron Hassey, Barker's catcher, would catch Dennis Martínez's perfect game in 1991, thus becoming the only catcher, to date, to catch two perfect games and the only one to catch a perfect game in both leagues.

Danny Ainge, who would play 14 seasons in the NBA, was on the losing end of this game. He grounded out and struck out in his two at-bats; in the ninth inning, he was pinch-hit for by Alvis Woods, who struck out.