White Sox Pitcher Sets Down 27 Straight Mariners In Win

Philip Humber has tossed a perfect game as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Seattle Mariners, 4-0, on Saturday at Safeco Field.
The 29-year-old right-hander needed just 80 pitches to get through eight innings, throwing 57 strikes as he sat down the first 24 batters to step in against him.With Humber one out away from pulling it off, pinch-hitter Brendan Ryan went to a 3-2, count, fouled off a pitch, then struck out on a checked swing that he vehemently argued. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski was forced to retrieve the ball and throw to first for the 27th out.

It was Humber's ninth strikeout of the game and game on his 97th pitch.

Humber went 3-0 on Michael Saunders, the first hitter of the ninth inning. He came back to strike Saunders out swinging for his eighth strikeout. John Jaso flied to right for the second out of the ninth.



“I mean, I can’t even put it into words,” Humber told Fox afterward. “I’m just so happy. There are so many good things happening right now. This just adds to the list. God is so good.”

Humber dedicated the performance to his wife Kristan.

Teammate Alexei Ramirez gave Humber a Gatorade bath during the Fox interview.

Humber accounted for the 27 outs with nine strikeouts, five groundouts and 13 flyouts. Less than a year later, he become a most unlikely part of baseball history. And for the second consecutive season, a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery has thrown at least a no-hitter. The Twins' Francisco Liriano, who had the surgery in 2006, threw a no-hitter in 2011.

Humber's was baseball's first no-hitter of 2012 and the third in history against Seattle. Mark Langston and Mike Witt of California combined on one in 1990, and Dwight Gooden of the New York Yankees blanked the M's in 1996.