philip humber | She's a Sports Fan

Yesterday on April 21, 2012 29-year-old Philip Humber, pitcher for Chicago White Sox, throws a perfect game against the Seattle Mariners.

A perfect game for a pitcher is not only when they strike out every player from the opposing team, but in definition it is when a pitcher pitches for all 9 innings and no player from the opposing team makes it to 1st base. So during yesterday’s game no Mariner ever made it to first base even though they got really close in the 9th inning. In the 9th the first Mariner up to bat was Michael Saunders. Humber pitched 3 balls and the count was 3-0 (3 balls, 0 strikes). This was the first time in the game Humber was 3-0. If he threw just one more ball then Saunders would get to walk to first base and Humber’s perfect game would not have been. Luckily Humber then threw a strike and then the next two were swinging strikes so Saunders was out. Then came John Jaso to bat. Humber’s first two pitches were strikes and the count was 0-2. The next pitch was hit and a fly ball was sent out to right field but was caught and Jaso was out. Last to bat for the Mariners was Brendan Ryan. The count was 3-2 when Humber threw a pitch that would have been a ball, but Ryan had slightly swung at it. The Umpire called it a swing, Ryan was out, and Humber got his perfect game.

Humber is the 21st pitcher to have a perfect game. During the game Humber had a total of 9 strikeouts, 13 flyouts (fly balls that were caught for an out), and 5 groundouts (balls that were hit and then thrown to first for an out). All of these added up to 27 outs and a perfect game for Philip Humber with some help from his teammates and a 4-0 win over the Mariners. This was also Humber’s first time to pitch all 9 innings. Before yesterday’s game the longest he had pitched was for 7 2/3 innings.

When the game ended and the last out was throw Humber fell to his knees but quickly got back up before all his teammates could make it over to him and knock him down again with excitement. The fans also showed their happiness by giving Humber a standing ovation as he walked off the field. He responded to the fans by taking off his hat and saluting them. It was truly a great day for Philip Humber. Humber said, “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.”

Congratulations to Humber for his perfect game and to the White Sox for their unforgettable win.

Watch Humber’s Fox interview: