OAKLAND, Calif. — Domingo Germán of the New York Yankees pitched the 24th perfect game in major league history Wednesday night, retiring every Oakland batter in an 11-0 victory over the Athletics.
It was the first perfect game since Seattle Mariners ace Félix Hernández threw one against the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 15, 2012. There were three that season, but none since until Germán finished the first no-hitter in the big leagues this year.
The moment Domingo Germán joined an elite list.
(via @Yankees) pic.twitter.com/IZ11SuTqBW
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 29, 2023
He joined Don Larsen (1956), David Wells (1998) and David Cone (1999) as Yankees pitchers to throw perfect games. Larsen’s gem came in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Coming off a pair of terrible starts, Germán (5-5) struck out nine of 27 batters against the A’s, who have the worst record in the majors.
The 30-year-old right-hander, a seven-year veteran, had never thrown a complete game in the big leagues. He served a 10-game suspension in May after getting ejected from a game in Toronto for using an illegal sticky substance on the mound.
Winless in six previous outings against Oakland, Germán threw 72 of 99 pitches for strikes. He mixed 51 curveballs and 30 fastballs that averaged 92.5 mph with 17 changeups and one sinker.
With the crowd of 12,479 on its feet for the ninth inning, Germán finished what he started. He got Aledmys Díaz to ground out before Shea Lanegeliers flied out to short center field. When Esteury Ruiz grounded out to end it, the Yankees’ dugout and bullpen emptied as Germán’s teammates raced out to the mound to celebrate.
Six days after allowing a career-high eight runs in a loss to the Seattle Mariners, Germán got his 500th career strikeout and was the definition of perfection.
It was the 13th no-hitter in Yankees history, including Larsen’s perfect game in the World Series. Their previous no-hitter came from Corey Kluber on May 19, 2021, against the Texas Rangers.
Seth Brown came the closest to reaching base for the A’s, hitting a sharp grounder in the fifth to first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who made a diving stop and tossed to Germán for the out.
Giancarlo Stanton homered for the first time in more than two weeks and drove in three runs, and former Oakland third baseman Josh Donaldson added three RBIs to help the Yankees to their 15th win in 21 games against the A’s since Aug. 31, 2019.
Stanton crushed a 422-foot homer on a first-pitch fastball from former Yankees pitcher JP Sears (1-6) in the fourth. The ball was hit so hard that Ruiz in center field and Brown in right didn’t move, but just turned their heads and watched it sail out to left-center.
Stanton added a two-run single off Shintaro Fujinami in the fifth when the Yankees scored six runs and benefited from two errors by the A’s.
Kyle Higashioka had an RBI double, then scored when Anthony Volpe reached on an infield single and Sears flipped the ball wildly into foul territory. Volpe took second on the error, stole third then scored on DJ LeMahieu’s single.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who walked leading off the inning and scored, capped the uprising with a two-out RBI single.
But the night belonged to Germán, who was loudly cheered as the game unfolded. Many fans in Oakland were decked out in Yankees colors or jerseys.
MLB perfect games
- Domingo Germán, New York (AL) at Oakland, June 28, 2023
- Félix Hernández, Seattle vs. Tampa Bay, 1-0, Aug. 15, 2012.
- Matt Cain, San Francisco vs. Houston, 10-0, June 13, 2012.
- Phil Humber, Chicago at Seattle, 4-0, April 21, 2012.
- Roy Halladay, Philadelphia at Florida, 1-0, May 29, 2010.
- Dallas Braden, Oakland vs. Tampa Bay, 4-0, May 9, 2010.
- Mark Buehrle, Chicago (AL) vs. Tampa Bay, 5-0, July 23, 2009.
- Randy Johnson, Arizona at Atlanta (NL), 2-0, May 18, 2004.
- David Cone, New York (AL) vs. Montreal, 6-0, July 18, 1999.
- David Wells, New York (AL) vs. Minnesota, 4-0, May 17, 1998.
- Kenny Rogers, Texas vs. California (AL), 4-0, July 28, 1994.
- Dennis Martinez, Montreal at Los Angeles (NL), 2-0, July 28, 1991.
- Tom Browning, Cincinnati vs. Los Angeles (NL), 1-0, Sept. 16, 1988.
- Mike Witt, California at Texas (AL), 1-0, Sept. 30, 1984.
- Len Barker, Cleveland vs. Toronto (AL), 3-0, May 15, 1981.
- Catfish Hunter, Oakland vs. Minnesota (AL), 4-0, May 8, 1968.
- Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles vs. Chicago (NL), 1-0, Sept. 9, 1965.
- Jim Bunning, Philadelphia at New York (NL), 6-0, June 21, 1964.
- x-Don Larsen, New York (AL) vs. Brooklyn (NL), 2-0, Oct. 8, 1956.
- Charles Robertson, Chicago at Detroit (AL), 2-0, April 30, 1922.
- Addie Joss, Cleveland vs. Chicago (AL), 1-0, Oct. 2, 1908.
- Cy Young, Boston vs. Philadelphia (AL), 3-0, May 5, 1904.
- John Richmond, Worcester vs. Cleveland (NL), 1-0, June 12, 1880.
- John Ward, Providence vs. Buffalo (NL), 5-0, June 17, 1880.
x-World Series
Unofficial perfect games
y-Ernie Shore, Boston vs. Washington (AL), 4-0, June 23, 1917.
z-Harvey Haddix, Pittsburgh vs. Milwaukee (NL), 0-1, 13 innings, May 26, 1959.
a-Pedro Martinez, Montreal at San Diego, June 3, 1995, 1-0, 10 innings.
y-Entered game after starter Babe Ruth walked Ray Morgan, and following an argument, was ejected by umpire Brick Owens. Morgan was caught stealing and Shore retired the remaining 26 batters.
z-Pitched 12 perfect innings, lost in 13th on an error, sacrifice bunt, walk and double.
a-Pitched 9 perfect innings, allowed leadoff double in 10th and was replaced by Mel Rojas, who finished one-hitter in 1-0 win.
