Global Courant
OAKLAND, California — Since arriving in the big leagues six years ago, Domingo Germán has been anything but perfect.
Until now.
The right-handed New York Yankees pitched the 24th perfect game in major league history on Wednesday night, striking out 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 August 15, 2012. There were three that season – but none since until Germán completed the first no-hitter in the majors this year.
He joined Don Larsen (1956), David Wells (1998) and David Cone (1999) as Yankees to throw perfect games. Larsen’s gem came in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
“So exciting,” said German through a translator. “If you think about something really unique in baseball, not many people have the chance to play a perfect game. To achieve something like that in my career is something I will remember forever.
After some terrible starts, Germán (5-5) struckout nine of 27 batters against the A’s, who have the worst record in the majors at 21-61.
The 30-year-old pitcher served a 10-game suspension last month after being ejected from a game in Toronto for using an illegal sticky substance on the mound. His only previous full game as a professional came with Double-A Trenton in April 2017.
Without a win in six previous appearances against Oakland, Germán threw 72 of 99 pitches for strikes. He mixed 51 curveballs and 30 fastballs at an average speed of 92.5 mph with 17 substitutions and one sinker.
He went to three balls on a batter only twice, trailing Ryan Noda 3-1 in the fourth and Jonah Bride by the same count in the eighth. Noda struckout on consecutive curveballs, and Germán followed with three straights to Bride: one for a called strike, the next resulting in a foul ball, and the third in a groundout.
“It was so nice to see him do that and get to work. We’ve seen him flirt with those kinds of outings over time,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone, recalling when Boston’s Alex Verdugo broke Germán’s no-hit bid in the eighth in July 2021.
“When he gets rolling like that he’s just so much fun to watch his craft because he’s so good at controlling all his throws. His curveball was great tonight but because his substitution and his fastball were good too , that made that curveball even more special.”
Seth Brown came closest for the A’s and grounded out sharply in the fifth inning to first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who made a dive stop and threw to Germán for the out.
With the crowd of 12,479 on their feet for the ninth, Germán quickly finished what he had started. He grounded out Aledmys Díaz before Shea Langeliers flied out to short field. When Esteury Ruiz grounded out to third baseman Josh Donaldson to end it, the New York dugout and bullpen emptied as Germán’s teammates ran to the mound in celebration.
“That last inning was very different – very different. I felt a pressure I’ve never felt before,” said German. “I try to visualize what I want to do there. At the same time, I don’t want to miss it. So busy, yet so rewarding.
“The key there was not to be overthrown,” he added.
A’s lead-off hitter Tony Kemp said German’s curveball caused everything else.
“He threw that curveball in every count he wanted,” Kemp said. “It turned differently and moved differently. He put his fastball where he wanted. Also switch. He just kind of mixed them up. I got some good swings from him, but no results.
Six days after allowing a career-high 10 runs (eight earned) and four home runs in 3 1/3 innings in a loss to the Mariners at home, Germán struck out his 500th career and was the definition of perfection.
“This was not an easy week or time for him,” Boone said. “For him to go there and paint that masterpiece was actually just really fun to be able to look at.”
It was the 13th no-hitter in Yankees history, including Larsen’s perfect game in the World Series. Corey Kluber pitched their previous no-hitter on May 19, 2021 against the Texas Rangers.
Germán, who Hernández grew up with, is the rare pitcher to wear a zero on the back of his uniform.
That number has never been so appropriate.
“I’m just happy for Domingo. He’s had some rough starts the last couple of times and he’s dragging along a bit,” said Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka. “I’ve always felt like someone, he has a really good shot at To do something like that and have it all come together tonight is just amazing.”
It marked quite a personal turnaround for Germán, who went 18-4 with the Yankees in 2019, but was placed on administrative leave late in that season while Major League Baseball investigated an alleged domestic violence incident involving his girlfriend.
He missed the entire pandemic-shortened 2020 season and playoffs while serving an 81-game suspension, then met face-to-face with Yankees teammates and made a public apology during spring training when he returned to the club in February 2021 .
Giancarlo Stanton homered for the first time in over two weeks and drove in three runs, and Donaldson added three RBIs against his former team to help the Yankees to their 15th win in 21 games against the A’s since August 31, 2019.
Stanton crushed a 422-foot homer on a first-pitch fastball by former Yankees pitcher J.P. Sears (1-6) in the fourth. The slumping slugger added a two-run single off Shintaro Fujinami in the fifth as the Yankees scored six runs and took advantage of two errors by the A’s.
Higashioka had an RBI double and scored when Anthony Volpe reached on an infield single and Sears turned the ball wildly into foul territory. Volpe took second on the error, stole third and then scored on DJ LeMahieu’s single.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who walked and scored at the top of the inning, capped the rebellion with a two-out RBI-single.
But the night belonged to Germán, who was cheered loudly as the game unfolded. Many fans in Oakland were decked out in Yankees colors or jerseys.
“Unfortunately, an uncle of mine passed away two days ago and I cried a lot in the clubhouse yesterday. So I had him with me the whole game. I thought of him,” said German. “This game is a tribute to him. He would have been so happy. He was always someone who really brought joy to our family and it happened for him to look at it this way, from up there.
STATISTICS AND THINGS
The Yankees became the first franchise to have four perfect games (the Chicago White Sox have three). … The Coliseum joined Yankee Stadium as the only ballparks to host three perfect games. … Oakland had played 5,063 games since the team’s last go unhit, by four Baltimore pitchers in July 1991. Now the Washington Nationals franchise has the longest active streak in the majors, with 3,812 games (including play- offs) since Cone’s perfect game against the Montreal Expos at Yankee Stadium in July 1999.
ROSTER MOVES
Yankees RHP Jhony Brito, the losing pitcher on Tuesday, was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. RHP Ian Hamilton was taken off the injured list after missing 35 games with a right groin strain.
NEXT ONE
Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt (2-6, 4.32 ERA) starts Thursday afternoon and has thrown for a 2.19 ERA in his past seven games through May 19. A’s manager Mark Kotsay said LHP Hogan Harris (2-1, 4.91) would either start or come in on an opener.
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