Perfection easier to attain why so many perfect games

Matt Cain was able to do what pitchers couldn't do for decades -- except on very, very rare occasions.

From 1922 to 1981, there were five perfect games. After Cain's perfect game on Wednesday night, there have now been five perfect games in less than three years. It's obviously become more common. Paired with Phillip Humber's perfect game in April, that's two this season. There have only been two other seasons in which there's been two, and only one in the modern era: 2010.

So are hitters suddenly easier to get out? Are pitchers more dominant? The steroids era ends and an era of great pitching begins? A few theories are out there.

My favorite: Strikeouts aren't as taboo anymore, so players aren't afraid to swing, and swing hard. Eddie Matz in ESPN the Magazine wrote this recently.

"Welcome to the reign of the K. Through May 22, the major league strikeout rate was 19.5 percent, on pace to shatter the record of 18.6 percent set ... last year. By comparison, in 1973, with the birth of the designated hitter, big leaguers struck out just 13.7 percent of the time, or once every 7.3 plate appearances."

Combine that with a strikeout pitcher -- Cain had 14 Ks on Wednesday, tying Sandy Koufax for the most in a perfect game -- and there's a lot of outs that aren't bad hops or bloopers. Put a good pitcher on the mound who is having a great night, combined with a lackluster hitting team (the Astros) on the other side, sprinkle in a touch of luck, and there's your recipe.

Cain's game was special, even for a perfect game. A statistic called Game Score was 101 for Cain on Wednesday night, on a scale that generally goes from 1 to 100. (The complicated formula rates pitchers' starts based on innings pitched, runs, hits, strikeouts and walks.) It was the best score since Kerry Wood's 20-strikeout game in 1998.

And then there's this: The home plate umpire was Ted Barrett, who is now the only ump in history behind the plate for two perfect games. He umpired David Cone's perfect game in 1999.

Related: List of perfect games in history