In light of Dallas Braden’s perfect game, I decided to research no-hitters and perfect games.  In particular, which were the “better” pitched games?  While a no-hitter goes down as a no-hitter, and a perfect game goes down as a perfect game, they are not all created equally.  While all of them involve some luck, which pitchers truly performed the best?

Since 2000 there have been 17 no-hitters in baseball including 3 perfect games (and one game where an error was the only blemish).  So who’s pitched the best no-hitters?  Who’s pitched the worst?  Who can compare to Kerry Wood’s 20 strikeout, 1 hit (which should have been fielded), no walk game?  Well, the answer to that is no one, as Wood’s FIP that day was -1.24.  I had to include that, that’s ridiculous.

*perfect game

As you may have surmised, A.J. Burnett’s 9 walk, 7 strikeout “gem” against the Padres in 2001 tops list for worst (or luckiest) no-hitter pitched with a 4.64 FIP, more than a run higher than the next worst no-hitter.  The best?  Randy Johnson’s perfect game against the Braves in May 2004 in which he had a 0.31 FIP, though he wasn’t quite as good as his 20 strikeout performance (-1.24 FIP and yet didn’t get the win) but got more luck.

Second to Johnson was Jonathan Sanchez’ lights out performance against the Padres in 2009 that was a Juan Uribe error away from being a perfect game.  The second worst was also the second most recent, in which Ubaldo Jimenez walked 6 while striking out 7 in his no-hitter this April to the tune of a 3.64 FIP.  Mark Buerhle, despite walking a batter in his April 2007 no-hitter actually had a lower FIP than in his perfect game in 2009 due to an extra 2 strikeouts. The links go directly to the box scores for each no-hitter, take a look around and let me know what you think.