On Wednesday, Domingo German of San Pedro De Macoris, Dominican Republic became the 24th pitcher in Major League Baseball history to throw a perfect game. The fact that the game came against the Oakland Athletics should have come as zero surprise, because Oakland has struggled offensively all season long. The fact the Athletics could not hit German, who entered the contest with an earned run average of 5.10, might have been surprising to some. At the end of the day, the Yankees were in a class all to themselves in an 11-0 shutout win. Here are the last five perfect games prior to German’s stellar performance.
Felix Hernandez
The Seattle Mariners ace from Valencia, Venezuela threw 113 pitches (14 pitches more than German) and had 12 strikeouts in a narrow 1-0 Mariners win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Safeco Field in Seattle on August 15, 2012. The game took two hours and 22 minutes to play. The Mariners got their lone run on a RBI single by Jesus Montero, which scored Brendan Ryan in the bottom of the third inning.
Matt Cain
The native of Dothan, Alabama threw 125 pitches and had 14 strikeouts in a 10-0 San Francisco Giants win over the Houston Astros on June 13, 2012. Cain’s perfect game was two months and two days prior to Hernandez’s gem. The Giants’s offense was outstanding in this game as they had a total of 15 hits. Third baseman Pedro Sandoval led the Giants with three hits. That same season San Francisco won the World Series as they beat the Detroit Tigers in a four game sweep.
Philip Humber
The native of Nacogdoches, Texas threw 96 pitches and had nine strikeouts in a 4-0 Chicago White Sox win over the Seattle Mariners on April 21, 2012. Like Hernandez’s perfect game, this perfect game was also pitched at Seattle’s Safeco Field.
Roy Halladay
The native of Denver, Colorado threw 115 pitches and had 11 strikeouts in a 1-0 Philadelphia Phillies win over the Florida Marlins on May 29, 2010. Later that same year Halladay became the second pitcher in MLB history to throw a no-hitter in a playoff game. Philadelphia beat Cincinnati 4-0.
Dallas Braden
The native of Phoenix, Arizona had 109 pitches and six strikeouts in a 4-0 Oakland Athletics win over the Tampa Bay Rays on May 9, 2010. Braden’s perfect game was only 20 days before Halladay was perfect.
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