June 29, 2023
So exciting … To accomplish something like this in my career is something that I’m going to remember forever.
New York Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán after pitching a perfect game against California’s Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night; the game was Major League Baseball’s first perfect game since 2012.
Why It Matters: In baseball, a perfect game happens when the pitcher does not allow the opposing team to reach a base by any means. It is an incredibly rare accomplishment, yet, Germán achieved this on Wednesday night, “bringing not only his team an 11-0 victory over the A’s but also the Yankees’ fourth perfect game thrown in team history and the 24th perfect game in all of MLB history,” NPR reports. Germán also became “The first pitcher born in the Dominican Republic to pitch a perfect game,” ESPN shares; his perfect game was also the first “no-hitter” in the 2023 MLB season.
After the game, Germán shared, “Unfortunately, two days ago, an uncle of mine passed away and I cried a lot yesterday in the clubhouse, so I had him with me throughout the whole game. … This game is a tribute to him. … He would have been so happy. He was always somebody that really brought joy to our family, and it happened for him to watch this way from up there.”
What are the odds? A Yankee pitcher throws a prized rarity: the perfect game (NPR)
Domingo German authors perfect game as Yankees top Athletics (ESPN)
Yankees’ Domingo Germán throws MLB’s first perfect game since 2012 (USA Today)
by Jenna Lee,
