Reds remember Browning's perfection

PHOENIX -- Tom Browning is still trying to get used to the idea. It's actually been 20 years since the former Reds left-hander made history by throwing a perfect game against the Dodgers at Riverfront Stadium.

That's right -- 20 years. It was Sept. 16, 1988. The anniversary is Tuesday.

"It's unthinkable how fast that time went," Browning said by phone over the weekend.

The years seemingly have moved about as fast as the game itself. The 1-0 Cincinnati win lasted just one hour and 51 minutes, in part because opposing pitcher Tim Belcher also cruised with a complete game. Browning threw first-pitch strikes to 21 of his 27 batters. He never reached a three-ball count to any Dodgers hitter.

"It was rolling, I remember that," said former Dodgers outfielder Kirk Gibson on Sunday.

The night was far from perfect when it started. Showers delayed the game for nearly 2 1/2 hours, which pushed the first pitch past 10 p.m. ET.

Browning had already taken off his uniform by around 9 p.m., because he thought the game would be called. The head of the grounds crew soon informed the Reds that there was a window to play.

If someone tells you they witnessed Browning's perfection, be suspicious. Because of the delay, much of the announced crowd of 16,591 had left the ballpark. The game was not televised in Cincinnati and the planned Los Angeles TV broadcast was scrubbed because of the late start. The only video documentation was from the stadium video board.

"I just remember when I got to the park, it was pouring," Browning said. "If it wasn't for the Astroturf, we wouldn't have played. I didn't want to wait another day. I was nice and relaxed. I didn't have any expectations."

In June of that season, Browning had a no-hitter with one out in the ninth vs. the Padres before it was broken up. But few would have expected Browning to be perfect.

"Of all the pitchers on our staff, he was the least likely to pitch a perfect game," said teammate and reliever Norm Charlton. "I think he would be the first to tell you that his stuff wasn't that good. He topped out [at] 88 [mph] and threw nothing but fastballs."

With home-plate umpire Jim Quick unafraid to call strikes as Browning and Belcher matched each other with zeros over the first five innings, there was only a walk allowed by Belcher.

"It was one of those days when I had good command," Browning said. "I'm not certain that I didn't have a bigger strike zone than normal."

Gibson would be the first to agree. He was ejected from the game by Quick in the seventh inning for arguing after being called out on strikes.

"He had a very nice strike zone, seriously. Not to take anything away from it," said Gibson, now the Diamondbacks' bench coach. "He's a very good pitcher. When a guy is that good and you're defending an additional eight to 10 inches of plate each way, it's tough. I got ejected after I got called out on a pitch severely outside.

"I can sit here and complain about the strike zone, but at the same time, I have to give Tom credit for understanding where the zone was. He was just putting it right there. ... To be fair, the strike zone was uniform for both teams."

Back in the sixth inning, Reds shortstop Barry Larkin notched the first hit with a double off Belcher. Chris Sabo followed with a single and Larkin scored the lone run on an error.

Browning had his lead and the one-run advantage proved to be more than enough.

"Then, the last three innings were a blur," Browning said. "By the seventh inning, I was left alone with my thoughts. My teammates stayed away from me."

Of course, the Reds' bullpen didn't stir the entire evening. In fact, two of the famed "Nasty Boys" relievers -- Charlton and Rob Dibble -- never moved.

"I remember standing in the exact same spot for the entire game," said Charlton, now the Mariners' bullpen coach. "Me, Ken Griffey Sr. and Rob Dibble. Browning was throwing a perfect game and Dibs and I are wearing tennis shoes. There was no bullpen in Cincy, so we were in the dugout. Senior would not let Dibs or I leave the dugout. We didn't do any exercises or anything. We had the clubhouse kid go up and get our spikes. If Browning had gotten in trouble, we would have had to change into our spikes and stretched out in a real hurry."

Trouble never found Browning, or even came close. Mike Marshall hit a tough grounder to Sabo at third base in the fifth inning, but there was no trouble throwing out Marshall at first base.

"Other than that, there wasn't a spectacular play. It was a routine game," recalled Browning, who just finished his first season as a pitching coach with the Reds' rookie farm team in Billings, Mont.

In the top of the ninth, Rick Dempsey flied out to right field and Steve Sax grounded out to the shortstop. The 27th consecutive and final out came when pinch-hitter Tracy Woodson struck out. Browning was mobbed by celebrating teammates. Of his 102 pitches, 70 were strikes.

At the time, he was only the 12th pitcher to ever throw a perfect game, and he's still the only Reds pitcher to have done it. Five more pitchers have achieved the feat since, the most recent being Arizona's Randy Johnson in 2004.

From that point, Browning became "Mr. Perfect" to Reds fans. One to lookout for the players' wives, owner Marge Schott gave Browning's wife a fur coat as congratulations. She tried adding a clause in his contract that his wife would be paid a $300,000 bonus if her husband threw a second perfect game.

"Baseball wouldn't let her put it in there," Browning said.

Still a fan favorite, Browning remained in the area and lives in Northern Kentucky. On Tuesday, to mark the 20th anniversary, the Reds are holding Tom Browning Bobblehead Night and he will also be at the Reds Hall of Fame before the game to sign autographs. There will be an on-field ceremony to remember the achievement of perfection.

"It opened a lot of doors," Browning said. "It kind of put me on the map in Cincinnati. I was able to do something that had never been done in this organization."