OAKLAND, Calif. — On too many occasions this month, the Yankees have needed their pitchers to be nearly perfect in order to have a chance to win because of their scuffling offense.
For the first time in weeks, that was not the case Wednesday night, but Domingo German achieved perfection anyway.
German threw the fourth perfect game in Yankees history and the 24th in MLB history, dazzling as he retired all 27 batters he faced on 99 pitches with nine strikeouts in an 11-0 win over the Athletics that 12,479 witnessed at Oakland Coliseum.
German’s final offering in a six-pitch ninth inning was grounded to third base, where Josh Donaldson fielded it cleanly and fired to first before the Yankees mobbed German near the mound.
“When you think about the history of baseball and how many pitchers have done it, to be part of history now, it’s exciting,” German said through an interpreter.
New York Yankees’ Domingo Germán, center, celebrates after pitching a perfect game. AP
Domingo German is pictured on the field during a Yankees game. Getty Images
What was not publicly known until after the game was that German’s uncle had passed away earlier this week.
The right-hander said he cried a lot in the clubhouse Tuesday but never had any doubt whether he would make Wednesday’s start.
“Definitely not an easy week,” German said. “At the same time, I felt like staying here with the team and doing my job and all the support they provided me to allow me to do this, they gave me the strength and support I needed to be here and stay with my team. Trying to find a way to stay positive throughout it all.”
On a night when he had his curveball working from the start — he went on to throw it 51 times and induced 12 whiffs — German was untouchable while working with catcher Kyle Higashioka.
Domingo German is mobbed by his Yankees teammates after the historic outing. AP
Domingo German became the fourth Yankees pitcher to complete the feat. USA Today SportsWhen the Athletics were able to get a bat on his pitches, he generated plenty of weak contact.
The biggest threat to disrupting German’s historic night came in the fifth inning when Seth Brown laced a 106.5 mph ground ball down the first-base line.
But Anthony Rizzo dove to his left to snare it, then flipped to German at first base for the second out of the inning.
Pounding the strike zone throughout the night (72 strikes), German encountered just two three-ball counts — both full counts — but he did not falter.
Domingo German's Fourth Perfect Game in Yankees History…
Domingo German became just the 24th pitcher in MLB history to throw a perfect game – and first in 11 years – with Wednesday’s gem in Oakland. Here’s a look:
- Lee Richmond – June 12, 1880. Pitching for Worcester Worcesters against Cleveland Guardians.
- John M. Ward – June 17, 1880. Pitching for Providence Grays against Buffalo Bisons.
- Cy Young – May 5, 1904. Pitching for Boston Red Sox against Philadelphia Phillies.
- Addie Joss – October 2, 1908. Pitching for Cleveland Browns against Chicago White Sox.
- Charlie Robertson – April 30, 1922. Pitching for Chicago White Sox against Detroit Tigers.
- Don Larsen – October 8, 1956. Pitching for New York Yankees against Brooklyn Dodgers.
- Jim Bunning – June 21, 1964. Pitching for Philadelphia Phillies against New York Mets.
- Sandy Koufax – September 9. 1965. Pitching for Los Angeles Dodgers against Chicago Cubs.
- Catfish Hunter – May 8, 1968. Pitching for Oakland Athletics against Minnesota Twins.
- Len Barker – May 15, 1981. Pitching for Cleveland Guardians against Toronto Blue Jays.
- Mike Witt – September 30, 1984. Pitching for California Angels against Texas Rangers.
- TomBrowning – September 16, 1988. Pitching for Cincinnati Reds against Los Angeles Dodgers.
- Dennis Martinez – July 28, 1991. Pitching for Montreal Expos against Los Angeles Dodgers.
- Kenny Rogers – July28, 1994. Pitching for Texas Rangers against California Angels.
- David Wells – May 17, 1998. Pitching for New York Yankees against Minnesota Twins.
- David Cone – July 18, 1999. Pitching for New York Yankees against Montreal Expos.
- Randy Johnson – May 18, 2004. Pitching for Arizona Diamondbacks against Atlanta Braves.
- Mark Buehrle – July 23, 2009. Pitching for Chicago White Sox against Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays.
- Dallas Braden – May 9, 2010. Pitching for Oakland Athletics against Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays.
- Roy Halladay – May 29, 2010. Pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies against Florida Marlins.
- Phillip Humber – April 21, 2012. Pitching for Chicago White Sox against Seattle Mariners.
- Matt Cain – June 13, 2012. Pitching for San Fransisco Giants against Houston Astros.
- Felix Hernandez – August 15, 2012. Pitching for Seattle Mariners against Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays.
- Domingo German – June 28, 2023. Pitching for the New York Yankees against Oakland Athletics.
“To see his teammates, how excited they are for him, knowing what he was going through the last couple of days, I’m so proud of him,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s been through so much. This has not been an easy week or time for him. For him to go out there and paint that masterpiece was really just a lot of fun to be able to watch.”
The perfect game was the Yankees’ first since David Cone twirled one in 1999, a year after David Wells recorded the first in franchise history since Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series.
Though German’s brush with perfection came against the worst offense in the majors this season, what made it more surprising was the fact he was coming off of two brutal starts.
In his last two outings against the Red Sox and Mariners, the right-hander was tagged for 15 earned runs, 15 hits, five home runs, and four walks across a combined 5 ¹/₃ innings.
German credited the bounce-back effort to a slight mechanical tweak he made coming into his 15th start of the season.
Stats of how Germán pitched during the game.
Across the first 14 — which included a 10-game suspension for a failed foreign-substance check in mid-May — German had flashed the tantalizing and dominant stuff that he put together for nine innings on Wednesday.
Still, nobody could have expected this.
But inside the cramped visiting dugout, they began to think it was possible around the fourth and fifth innings — which came after the Yankees spent nearly 25 minutes scoring six runs in the top of the fifth.
As the Yankees batted around, German went to the bullpen in foul territory down the right-field line and tossed a handful of pitches to stay loose.
Then, as the late innings went by quickly and German continued to mow down batters, the chatter inside the Yankees’ dugout got quieter and quieter as they bore witness to history.
“A perfect game, who does that?” Higashioka said. “You could definitely feel a little bit of tension. But I thought Domingo handled it perfectly.”
