Yankees' Domingo German fires perfect game vs. A's

 

[June 29, 2023]  Domingo German pitched the fourth perfect game in New York Yankees history Wednesday night, taking down 27 Athletics in order in an 11-0 victory at the Oakland Coliseum.

When Esteury Ruiz grounded the right-hander's 99th pitch of the night sharply to Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson, German became the first in Major League Baseball to throw a perfect game since Felix Hernandez against the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 15, 2012.

German (5-5) thus etched his name in Yankees lore alongside three others who threw perfect games: Don Larsen in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers; David Wells on May 17, 1998, against the Minnesota Twins; and David Cone on July 18, 1999, against the Montreal Expos.

"So exciting when you think about something very unique in baseball," German said postgame on YES Network, through an interpreter. "Not many people have an opportunity to pitch a perfect game. To accomplish something like this in my career is something I'm going to remember forever."

He added of the ending, "That last inning was very different. I felt an amount of pressure I've never felt before. I tried to visualize what I want to execute there, but at the same time, I don't want to miss. So much pressure, but yet so rewarding."

The no-hitter was the 13th in Yankees history, the first since Corey Kluber blanked the Texas Rangers on May 19, 2021.

The last no-hitter in the majors had been thrown in Game 4 of last year's World Series by four Houston Astros pitchers against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The most recent regular-season no-hitter was another combined job by three Astros last June 25 against the Yankees. The Los Angeles Angels' Reid Detmers tossed the most recent solo no-hitter, beating the Rays 12-0 on May 10, 2022.

The A's, meanwhile, were no-hit for the 15th time in their history, the first time since a combined effort of Bob Milacki, Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson and Gregg Olson of the Baltimore Orioles on July 13, 1991.

German, who had never pitched a shutout or a complete game in his six-year career, struck out nine, two shy of his career high.

"Unfortunately, two days ago an uncle of mine passed away," German said on YES Network, through an interpreter. "I cried a lot yesterday in the clubhouse. You know, I had him with me throughout the whole game. I was thinking about him ... and it happened. This game is a tribute to him.

"He would have been so happy. He was always someone that really brought a joy to our family, and it happened for him to watch it this way, from up there (in heaven)."

Jun 28, 2023; Oakland, California, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German (0) gets drenched after pitching a perfect game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. It was the first perfect game in MLB since 2012 and the fourth perfect game in franchise history. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The 30-year-old Dominican right-hander is less than a month removed from serving a 10-day suspension for violating MLB's policy on grip-enhancing substances.

The perfect outing couldn't have been expected from German, considering he was hammered in each of his past two starts, giving up a total of 17 runs (15 earned) on 15 hits in 5 1/3 innings.

A's starter JP Sears matched German with dueling no-hitters through three innings before Giancarlo Stanton homered with two outs in the fourth. It was Stanton's seventh homer of the season.

The Yankees broke the game open and put everyone's focus on German's feat with a six-run fifth inning that extended the lead to 7-0.

Errors by Sears and A's first baseman Ryan Noda contributed to the Yankees' uprising, which also featured a two-run single by Stanton and RBI hits by Kyle Higashioka, Anthony Volpe, DJ LeMahieu and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

Sears was pulled six batters into the inning, not having retired any of them. He was charged with seven runs (five earned) on five hits in four-plus innings, with three walks and five strikeouts.

The Yankees padded their run total on a Josh Donaldson sacrifice fly in a three-run ninth in which Donaldson contributed an RBI double.

Stanton finished with two hits and three RBIs for the Yankees, who dropped the series opener 2-1 on Tuesday night. Harrison Bader and Volpe chipped in with two hits apiece, while Donaldson and Kiner-Falefa had two RBIs each.

The Yankees won for the third time in four games. The A's fell to 2-11 since winning seven straight earlier this month.

--Field Level Media

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