21 up, 21 K'd -- Long Island high school hurler brings new meaning to 'perfect game'

Throwing a perfect game is an amazing accomplishment for any pitcher, but such a feat usually requires the fielders behind him to play flawlessly as well. (Just ask Mark Buehrle or Matt Cain.) Not so for Mike Delio of Carle Place (NY) High School on Tuesday.

Making his first start with the Carle Place Frogs varsity squad, Delio struck out all 21 Hempstead High School batters he faced in a seven-inning game. His teammates could literally have been asleep and nothing would have changed.

Twenty-three MLB pitchers have thrown perfect games and the record for most strikeouts in one is 14 (shared by Sandy Koufax and Cain). In other words, 14/27 (51.9 percent) is the maximum number of batters any big leaguer has been able to retire in a perfecto without the defense's participation.

"Every time he takes the mound there is always the chance that he can do something special," Carle Place coach Brian Krummenacker told Newsday. "Today was the day."