What is the fewest number of pitches that a pitcher in a major league baseball game can throw and come away with a complete game?
(A real complete game, not shortened by rain or anything like that)
I believed the correct answer is 25. A balk does not put runners on base. It only moves runners up one base who are already on base.
Here's the break down. A visiting pitcher throws one pitch to each batter he faces and each batter is putout. This happens for all batters save one who hits a homerun off of him. The home pitcher shuts out the visiting team. Thereby not needing to play the bottom of the ninth inning.
So the visiting pitcher faces only 25 batters.
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