The New York Yankees, a team renowned for their unmatched 27 World Series victories, have further cemented their place in baseball history with a remarkable achievement. The St. Louis Cardinals, the National League leaders with 11 championships, trail far behind the Yankees' impressive record.
On Wednesday night, Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán etched his name into the annals of baseball by pitching a perfect game against the Oakland A's. This exceptional performance marks the 24th perfect game in MLB history and the fourth for the Yankees organization, surpassing the Chicago White Sox for the most perfect games by a single team.
Germán joins an elite group of Yankees pitchers who have accomplished this rare feat: Don Larsen (1956), David Wells (1998), and David Cone (1999). The White Sox have had three perfect games, the most recent being Philip Humber's in 2012.
Following the game, a visibly emotional Germán expressed his excitement and acknowledged the rarity of the achievement. "Opportunities like this don't come often," he stated through a translator. "This is a moment I will cherish forever."
What makes Germán's perfect game even more astonishing is his previous outing on June 22nd against the Seattle Mariners, where he surrendered 10 runs. According to ESPN, he becomes the first pitcher to achieve a perfect game after giving up double-digit runs in his prior start.
Adding to his list of firsts, Germán also becomes the first Dominican Republic native to pitch a perfect game. This remarkable performance comes just a month after a 10-game suspension imposed by MLB for a foreign substance violation during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Germán maintained that the substance was rosin, but home plate umpire James Hoye insisted it was the "stickiest" hand he'd felt and "definitely not rosin."
Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka expressed his joy for Germán, acknowledging the pitcher's recent struggles. "I always believed he had the potential for something like this," Higashioka remarked. "To see it all come together tonight is truly amazing."
