Domingo Germán perfect game: Seven notable facts, including good omen for Yankees and the righty's inspiration

MLB history was made Wednesday night at RingCentral Coliseum. New York Yankees right-hander Domingo Germán threw baseball's 24th perfect game and blanked the Oakland Athletics 11-0. He did it on only 99 pitches, and the perfect game was remarkably stress-free. Germán went to only two three-ball counts and there was no need for a stellar defensive play behind him.

"Honestly, I just felt like I was a passenger for this one," Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka told MLB.com after the game. "Just don't miss the ball and don't mess it up. Domingo was definitely driving the ship, and he had a plan. I mean, we both had a plan, but he had just ultimate confidence in his stuff."

Germán was not even expected to be in New York's rotation this season. He reported to camp as a swingman/spot starter before spring injuries to Frankie Montas (shoulder), Carlos Rodón (forearm), and Luis Severino (lat) pushed him into the rotation. Germán is now third on the Yankees in starts and innings, behind only Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt.

Here are seven things to know about Germán's historic perfect game.

1. He's the first Dominican-born pitcher to throw a perfect game

As the subhead says, Germán is the first pitcher born in the Dominican Republic to throw a perfect game. He's only the third pitcher born outside the United States to throw a perfect game, joining El Presidente Dennis Martínez (Nicaragua) and King Félix Hernández (Venezuela). Martínez threw his perfect game for the Expos against the Dodgers on June 28, 1991. Hernández threw his perfect game against the Rays Aug. 15, 2012. He was of course with the Mariners. 

2. It was the most lopsided perfect game ever

More surprising than the perfect game is the Yankees scoring 11 runs. OK, that's an exaggeration, but New York's offense has really struggled this season and especially lately. Heading into Wednesday's game they'd hit .198/.261/.347 and averaged only 3.0 runs per game in the 19 games since Aaron Judge injured his toe crashing into the Dodger Stadium outfield wall.

The 11 runs Wednesday equal the number of runs the Yankees scored in their previous five games combined, and it's the most runs the Yankees have scored since hanging 11 on (who else?) the Athletics at Yankee Stadium on May 10. The 11-0 score is the most lopsided perfect game ever:

The average score of MLB's 24 perfect games is 3.5-0 and there have been seven 1-0 perfect games, incredibly.

3. Germán got hammered in his previous starts

Germán certainly did not go into Wednesday's game riding a hot streak. He surrendered 17 runs in 5 1/3 innings in his previous two starts, including 10 runs and four home runs against the Mariners last time out. That night Germán became the third Yankee to allow 10 runs and four homers in a game, joining Whitey Ford and Bob Turley. He's the fourth Yankee to throw a perfect game. Somehow the perfect game is only the second most exclusive club Germán has joined within the last week (I kid, I kid).

4. Germán dedicated the game to his uncle

Germán threw his perfect game with a heavy heart. Following his historic outing he revealed an uncle died earlier this week, and he "cried a lot in the clubhouse" the day before making his start.

"Unfortunately, two days ago an uncle of mine passed away and I cried a lot yesterday in the clubhouse. I had him with me throughout the whole game. I was thinking about him and it happened. This game is a tribute to him," Germán told the YES Network. "... He would be so happy. He was always someone who really brought joy to our family."

Germán added there was never any question he'd make Wednesday's start. "There was no doubt about making the start. We had really good communication going back and forth with my family. Definitely not an easy week. At the same time, I felt like staying here with the team, doing my job," he told MLB.com.

5. MLB was in the middle of a very long perfect game drought

Germán's perfect game was baseball's first since Hernández against the Rays on Aug. 15, 2012. There were three perfect games that season (also Cain and Phil Humber), the most ever in a single season, then MLB entered a long perfect game drought. The 3,969 days between Hernández and Germán is baseball's longest perfect game drought since the 6,216 days between Catfish Hunter (May 8, 1968) and Len Barker (May 15, 1981).

6. The A's had not been no-hit since 1991

Oakland went into Wednesday's game with by far baseball's longest streak of not being no-hit. Prior to Germán, the A's were last no-hit by a quartet of Orioles pitchers (Bob Milacki, Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson, Gregg Olson) on July 13, 1991. Here are the longest active streaks of not being no-hit:

Every other team has been no-hit at least once since 2010. The A's streak of not being no-hit was nearly two decades longer than the next longest streak. Oakland went 5,010 games between being no-hit, the longest such streak since the Reds went 7,109 games without being no-hit between June 23, 1971 (Rick Wise) and April 20, 2016 (Jake Arrieta).

Also, this was not the first time the Athletics were on the wrong end of a perfect game. Cy Young threw a perfect game against the then-Philadelphia A's on May 5, 1904. That was the first perfect game of the Modern Era (since 1900).

7. The Yankees won the World Series every year they've thrown a perfect game

To date, of course. We'll see what happens with the 2023 Yankees, but Germán's perfect game is the fourth in Yankees history, and they went on the win the World Series the previous three times. Here's the recap:

Larsen of course threw his perfect game in the World Series. Game 5, to be exact. The series was tied 2-2 and Larsen's perfect game gave New York the win in the pivotal Game 5. Will the 2023 Yankees continue the streak? The odds are against it, but hey, stranger things have happened. Like a pitcher giving up 10 runs one start and throwing a perfect game the next.

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