Since arriving in the big leagues six years ago, Domingo Germ谩n has been anything but perfect.
Until now.
The New York Yankees right-hander pitched the 24th perfect game in major league history Wednesday night, retiring every Oakland batter in an 11-0 victory over the Athletics.
It was the first perfect game since Seattle Mariners ace F茅lix Hern谩ndez threw one against the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 15, 2012. There were three that season 鈥� but none since until Germ谩n finished off the first no-hitter in the majors this year.
He joined Don Larsen (1956), David Wells (1998) and David Cone (1999) as Yankees to pitch perfect games. Larsen鈥檚 gem came in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
鈥淪o exciting,鈥� Germ谩n said through a translator. 鈥淲hen you think about something very unique in baseball, not many people have an opportunity to pitch a perfect game. To accomplish something like this in my career is something that I鈥檓 going to remember forever.鈥�
Germ谩n (5-5) struck out nine of 27 hitters against the A鈥檚, who have the worst record in the majors at 21-61.
The 30-year-old pitcher after getting on the mound. He was also by Major League Baseball earlier in his career over an alleged domestic violence incident.
His only previous complete game as a professional came with Double-A Trenton in April 2017.
Winless in six previous outings against Oakland, Germ谩n threw 72 of 99 pitches for strikes. He mixed 51 curveballs and 30 fastballs that averaged 92.5 mph with 17 changeups and one sinker.
He went to three balls on a batter just twice, falling behind Ryan Noda 3-1 in the fourth and Jonah Bride by the same count in the eighth. Noda struck out on consecutive curveballs, and Germ谩n followed with three straight curves to Bride: one for a called strike, the next resulting in a foul ball and the third in a groundout.
鈥淚t was just so fun to watch him do that and go to work. We鈥檝e seen him flirt with outings like that over time,鈥� Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, thinking to when Boston鈥檚 Alex Verdugo broke up Germ谩n鈥檚 no-hit bid in the eighth in July 2021.
鈥淲hen he gets rolling like that he鈥檚 just so fun to watch at his craft because he鈥檚 so good at commanding all of his pitches. His curveball was great tonight, but because his changeup and his fastball were good, too, it made that curveball even more special.鈥�
Seth Brown came the closest to reaching base for the A鈥檚, hitting a sharp grounder in the fifth inning to first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who made a diving stop and tossed to Germ谩n for the out.
With the crowd of 12,479 on its feet for the ninth, Germ谩n quickly finished what he started. He got Aledmys D铆az to ground out before Shea Langeliers flied out to short center field. When Esteury Ruiz grounded out to third baseman Josh Donaldson to end it, New York鈥檚 dugout and bullpen emptied as Germ谩n鈥檚 teammates raced out to the mound to celebrate.
鈥淭hat last inning was very different 鈥� very different. I felt an amount of pressure that I鈥檝e never felt before,鈥� Germ谩n said. 鈥淚鈥檓 trying to visualize what I want to execute there. At the same time, I don鈥檛 want to miss. So much pressure, but yet so rewarding.
鈥淭he key there was not to overthrow,鈥� he added.
A鈥檚 leadoff hitter Tony Kemp said Germ谩n鈥檚 curveball set up everything else.
鈥淗e threw that curveball in any count that he wanted to,鈥� Kemp said. 鈥淚t was spinning differently and moving differently. He put his fastball where he wanted to. Changeup as well. He just kind of mixed them. Got a couple of good swings off him, but no results.鈥�
Six days after allowing a career-high 10 runs (eight earned) and four homers over 3 1/3 innings in a loss to the Mariners at home, Germ谩n got his 500th career strikeout and was the definition of perfection.
鈥淭his has not been an easy week or time for him,鈥� Boone said. 鈥淔or him to go out there and paint that masterpiece was really just a lot of fun just to be able to watch.鈥�
It was the 13th no-hitter in Yankees history, including Larsen鈥檚 perfect game in the World Series. Corey Kluber pitched their previous no-hitter against the Texas Rangers on May 19, 2021.
Germ谩n, who idolized Hern谩ndez growing up, is the rare pitcher who wears zero on the back of his uniform.
Never has that number been more appropriate.
鈥淚鈥檓 just happy for Domingo. He鈥檚 had a rough last couple starts and he鈥檚 kind of been dragging a little bit,鈥� Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka said. 鈥淚 kind of always felt like of anyone, he has a really good chance to do something like this and for it all to come together tonight is just amazing.鈥�
It marked quite a personal turnaround for Germ谩n, who went 18-4 in 2019 with the Yankees but was put on administrative leave late that season while MLB 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 at spring training when he returned to the club in February 2021.
Giancarlo Stanton homered for the first time in more than 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鈥檚 since Aug. 31, 2019.
Stanton crushed a 422-foot homer on a first-pitch fastball from former Yankees pitcher JP Sears (1-6) in the fourth. The slumping slugger added a two-run single off Shintaro Fujinami in the fifth when the Yankees scored six runs and benefited from two errors by the A鈥檚.
Higashioka had an RBI double, then scored when Anthony Volpe reached on an infield single and Sears flipped the ball wildly into foul territory. Volpe took second on the error, stole third and then scored on DJ LeMahieu鈥檚 single.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who walked leading off the inning and scored, capped the uprising with a two-out RBI single.
But the night belonged to Germ谩n, who was loudly cheered as the game unfolded. Many fans in Oakland were decked out in Yankees colors or jerseys.
鈥淯nfortunately, two days ago an uncle of mine passed away and I cried a lot yesterday in the clubhouse. So I had him with me throughout the whole game. I was thinking about him,鈥� Germ谩n said. 鈥淭his 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.鈥�
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