Posted on 06/28/2023 9:34:10 PM PDT by TBP
OAKLAND -- Domingo Germán tossed Major League Baseball's first perfect game since 2012 in the Yankees' 11-0 win over the A's on Wednesday night at the Coliseum. It was the fourth perfect game in franchise history, and the first since David Cone against the Expos in 1999.
After allowing 17 runs (15 earned) over 5 1/3 innings in his previous two starts, Germán entered Wednesday with the potential to make the wrong kind of history by becoming just the fifth pitcher in franchise history to allow seven-plus runs in three straight games.
Instead, Germán snapped a streak of another kind with his historic night. The A's had not been no-hit since July 13, 1991, in a combined effort by four Orioles pitchers, which was the longest active streak in the Majors.
It's the 24th perfect game in AL/NL history and the first since Félix Hernández threw one on Aug. 15, 2012, against the Rays in Seattle.
The last time an opposing pitcher was perfect against the A's? May 5, 1904, when Cy Young and the Boston Americans went 27 up, 27 down against the Philadelphia Athletics.
Germán joins Cone, David Wells (May 17, 1998 vs. Twins) and Don Larsen (Oct. 8, 1956, in Game 5 of the World Series vs. Brooklyn Dodgers) as Yankees pitchers to throw perfect games.
Germán's big night began with a career milestone, his 500th strikeout, which perhaps hinted at more good things to come later on.
The 30-year-old right-hander did not seem to miss a beat throughout the evening, even when the Yankees batted around in a six-run top of the fifth inning that lasted more than 20 minutes. Germán got through the bottom half of that frame on 10 pitches, displaying a remarkable efficiency that lasted all the way to the final out.
Germán needed just 99 pitches to record all 27 outs, striking out nine A's batters.
No perfecto would be complete without a critical play to preserve the bid, and Anthony Rizzo supplied just that for the Yankees when he dove to his left to smother a 106.5 mph grounder off the bat of Seth Brown in the bottom of the fifth. Rizzo snared it, then flipped it to Germán at first for the out.
Rizzo also made a nice grab on a throw from third baseman Josh Donaldson that veered slightly wide to end the eighth inning, stretching across the bag but managing to keep his foot down to retire Oakland's Jonah Bride.
Who was the catcher?
Kyle Higashioka, who played for Team USA at the most recent World Baseball Classic.
Thanks.
I saw a photo of Cone and Giardi, Wells and Posada and Larson and Yogi.
Now it’s German and Higashioka added to the list.
You never know who might accomplish this ultra-rare feat. Some of the pitchers were all-time greats such as Cy Young and Sandy Koufax, but others had mediocre careers or worse. But for one night, absolute magic.
No Pitcher has ever thrown 2.
The first MLB perfect game since Felix Hernandez in 2012, and the first at the Oakland Coliseum since Dallas Braden in 2010.
Braden was one of the announcers on the A’s broadcast on NBC Sports Bay Area.
Sweet. Attendance 12,479, Temp 56º, and Time 2:30. Nice to see a perfect game again. Sad it was at the ghost town of Oakland Coliseum. It gets chilly in the upper decks and I miss seeing Billy Martin in the 1980’s running out of the dugout to give the umps a tough time by kicking dirt in their direction.
The Clock has really worked. Attendance is up, games are crisp.
Both starting pitchers, Warren Spahn and Juan Marichal, pitched complete games.
That stupid Ghost Runner has ruined that.
CYoung’s Perfect Game was completed in an Hour 25 Minutes!,😄
One of my favorite Billy Martin stories comes form his time managing the A’s.
As he was wont to do, Billy got himself thrown out of the ballgame. He went into his office, turned on the TV, and called the dugout phone.
He continued talking to the dugout until the owner walked in. “Billy, when you get ejected, aren’t you supposed to leave the premises?” the owner asked. (Apparently, that was the rule at that time.
Billy got dressed, left, went to the sports bar across the street that had the game on. He went in the phone booth and called the dugout phone. He was managing the team and he wasn’t even in the ballpark.
As a Rays fan, I want the Yankees to lose every game they play. Except this one. Congratulations, Germán.
How do you write German with the accent mark?
On the phone I hold my finger over the a and options pop up. On my laptop I usually copy and paste it since I can’t remember all the keyboard codes.
Thanks for the tip.
The A’s are basically a AAA since the owner got rid of the good players and quadrupled the seat price, so he could move the team. He is a former owner of the Giants, and is colluding with them.
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