It must be something about the Bay Area. Somehow, defense has become the great enemy of perfection for teams facing the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics over the past several decades.

For a while, it appeared that Mike Lowell – a Gold Glover who owns the highest fielding percentage of all time by a third baseman – might join the ranks of the infamous. Through 21 outs, the only Athletics batter to reach base was Kurt Suzuki, who did so when Lowell booted a grounder hit by the Oakland catcher leading off the sixth.

Wakefield retired the next six batters before allowing a leadoff walk to Mark Ellis and then a one-out single by Suzuki in the eighth. Thus, Lowell was spared a place on the list of players whose error ruined a perfect game in which a pitcher did not allow a hit, walk or hit batter.

Lowell’s error echoed one made by Sox shortstop Julio Lugo in early June 2007. Lugo nearly cost teammate Curt Schilling a perfect game of his own in Oakland. Ultimately, the pitcher fell one out shy of a perfect game before A’s leadoff hitter Shannon Stewart rifled a single into right field.

Since 1954, there have been three instances when a pitcher completed a no-hit, no-walk, no-hit-batter game that was imperfect because of defense. All three involved either the A’s or Giants.

Phillies pitcher Terry Mulholland threw a no-hitter on August 15, 1990, in which a Charlie Hayes error led to the only baserunner of the game. Mulholland quickly erased the runner on a 6-4-3 double play, and so still faced the minimum of 27 batters. The Phillies beat the Giants, 6-0.

Dodgers hurler Jerry Reuss, on June 27, 1980, lost a perfect game thanks to a Bill Russell error in an 8-0 win over the Giants.

Indians pitcher Dick Bosman came withinan error of a perfect game on July 19, 1974, but he had only himself to blame. The pitcher committed the error that allowed the lone baserunner of the game in a 4-0 win over the Athletics.

According to this Wikipedia page, there are four other instances of games in which a pitcher failed to achieve perfection because of fielding miscues.

Wakefield did not add to their ranks, thus sparing Lowell an undesirable footnote in history. Instead, his day is defined more by his impact in jumpstarting the Red Sox offense with a two-run homer in support of Wakefield.