New York Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán just threw the first perfect game in Major League Baseball in over a decade.
The Yankees have had a pretty tough season so far, but Germán turned things around in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night, as he retired all 27 of Oakland A's batters in order. This marks the first perfect game since Seattle Mariners pitcher, Félix Hernández, recorded one on Aug 15 2012 versus the Tampa Bay Rays.
So exciting. When you think about something very unique in baseball, not many people have an opportunity to pitch a perfect game. To accomplish something like this in my career is something that I’m going to remember forever.
Germán
The incredible performance is the fourth perfect game in Yankees history, joining David Cone (1999), David Wells (1998) and Don Larsen (1956), and only the 24th perfect game in the entire history of the MLB. Larsen's famously came during the 1956 World Series win over the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Germán struck out nine and didn't allow a single baserunner while throwing 99 pitches in a game he will never forget. And while every perfect game is worthy of praise, this one was particularly special as Germán has had a pretty tough time so far.
Germán received a 10-game suspension last month after being caught using an illegal sticky substance on the pitcher's mound during a game in Toronto. Before this game, he had only completed a whole game once in his professional career, which happened in April 2017 when he played for the Double-A Trenton team.
He also pitched poorly in his last two games, but on Wednesday, Germán truly turned things around as he struck out nine out of the 27 batters he faced. He threw 99 pitches, with a whopping 72 of them being strikes. He used a combination of 51 curveballs and 30 fastballs, which had an average speed of 92.5 miles per hour, throwing 17 changeups and just one sinker.
The 24th Perfect Game in MLB History
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 29, 2023
It Belongs to Domingo German pic.twitter.com/bPQtb9gbmf
Throughout the game, Germán only reached a three-ball count on a batter twice. One time was against Ryan Noda in the fourth inning, where he fell behind with a 3-1 count. Noda ended up striking out after facing two consecutive curveballs. The other time was against Jonah Bride in the eighth inning, where Germán also fell behind with a 3-1 count. He threw three consecutive curveballs to Bride: the first was called a strike, the second resulted in a foul ball, and the third led to a groundout.
It was just so fun to watch him do that and go to work. We’ve seen him flirt with outings like that over time. When he gets rolling like that he’s just so fun to watch at his craft because he’s so good at commanding all of his pitches. His curveball was great tonight, but because his changeup and his fastball were good, too, it made that curveball even more special.
Aaron Boone, Yankees Manager
This will undoubtedly be the highlight of German's up-and-down career so far. But on the other hand, this game was just another nail in the coffin for Oakland, who are currently the worst team in the major leagues, with 21 wins and 61 losses.
(Header Image Credit: Stan Szeto - USA TODAY Sports)
