The day, with or without David Cone, seemed primed for perfection.

A summer Sunday afternoon at The Stadium. The first-place Yankees waiting to whip the woeful Montreal Expos.

And a sellout crowd on Yogi Berra Day to honor the franchise’s most beloved catcher.

But July 18, 1999 came with Cone pitching the greatest nine innings of his career. With Berra and Don Larsen, the battery for the Yankees’ 1956 World Series perfect game, on hand, Cone threw one of his own, setting down 27 straight Expos in a 6-0 win.

“All the Yankees legends here today – Don Larsen, Yogi Berra,” Cone said. “It makes you stop and think of the Yankee magic and the mystique of this ballpark.”

Cone’s 88-pitch effort marked the personal peak of his career, which many considered finished when, in 1996, doctors discovered an aneurysm in his right arm.

His premier performance included 10 strikeouts and no three-ball counts on Expos hitters.

Cone endured a 33-minute, third-inning rain delay by playing catch with a ball boy and stayed perfect thanks to defensive gems from right fielder Paul O’Neill, second baseman Chuck Knoblauch and left fielder Ricky Ledee.

The final out of the majors’ 16th perfect game came when Orlando Cabrera popped to third baseman Scott Brosius.

Cone dropped to his knees, mouth open in amazement. He hugged catcher Joe Girardi, then headed for the clubhouse, where he celebrated with Larsen and Berra.

The perfect Yankee ending to the perfect Yankee day.

Cone by the numbers

Strikeouts 10

Ground outs 4

Infield flyballs 3

Outfield flyballs 10

Three-ball counts 0

Time of game 2:16