Domingo German Hurls Perfect Game!! NY 11 Oakland 0

June 29, 2023 paperbacklou 2023 0

When Domingo German‘s curveball is curving, he is one of the best pitchers in the American League, as we’ve written here many times — German taking no-hitters deep into games time and time again.

This time — he went all the way.

A Perfect Game — the 24th in Major League baseball history and the 4th by a Yankee.

On this night, his off-speed pitch was also filthy. And his fastball spotted, and his control pinpoint.

The Yankee offense exploded for 11 runs — powered by Giancarlo Stanton and energized by Anthony Volpe — allowing German to ‘just throw strikes’ in the later part of the game.

A Perfect Game is also a team effort — the pressure ratchets on every player on the field — and the Yankee defense came up big. Anthony Rizzo made a spectacular play at 1st in the 5th — and in the 9th, Anthony Volpe made a good play on a sharp grounder up the middle, and Josh Donaldson ended it by making a sure-handed play on a sharp grounder down 3rd — what looked like a basehit off the bat. PHEW.

Kyle Higashioka was the catcher.

“That last inning was very different. Very different,” said German afterwards. “I felt an amount of pressure I’ve never felt before. I’m trying to visualize what I’m trying to execute there, at the same time I don’t want to miss. So — so much pressure but yet, so rewarding.”

The Yanks improve to 44-36, and remain 9.5 behind Tampa, move to within 4.5 of Baltimore, and stay .5 ahead of Toronto. Oakland falls to 21-61.

1. German Perfect

German has been one of the best Yankee pitchers this season, marred by his last 2 starts where his curveball wasn’t curving — it was hanging up — and his pinpoint control wasn’t pinpoint. He allowed 10 runs in 4.2 innings in his last start, when he said (thru the Yankee translator): “It’s hard to figure out where the issue is; Is it mechanical? Is it the release point? Are they adjusting? Are they seeing the pitch well? — it is one of those things that is hard to figure out, at the same time you have to keep working; you gotta find what kind of solution you can apply and put it into work.”

Well he made the adjustment, and put it into work.

His curveball was curving and Suzyn Waldman on the broadcast noted from the beginning how filthy his off-speed pitch was.

German struck out 2 batters in the 1st and just rolled thru the Oakland lineup like water — keeping a low pitch count while striking out 9.

“I’m so happy. I’m without words. Not much I can say,” said Domingo German afterwards thru the Yankee translator. When asked when he thought he could do it, German said “I would say after the 5th inning, I found myself in good shape. So I just tried to keep the balance that I had throughout the game and keep executing pitches.”

“I’m just happy for Domingo,” said Kyle Higashioka afterwards. “He’s had a rough last couple of starts and he’s been kind of dragging a little bit. Just for him to do this and get back to being himself. I’ve always kind of felt like, of anyone, he has a real good chance to do something like this. And for it to all come together tonite — it’s amazing.”

2. Giancarlo Starts Off the Scoring with MISSILE

Meanwhile the Yanks were up against JP Sears, who entered with a 1-6 record despite decent 4.10 ERA. Yankee fans know how good Sears can be when he is on his game — and this looked like it would be another low-scoring affair — a 0-0 tie in the 4th when Giancarlo Stanton opened the scoring with a MISSILE to left — 422 feet.

Stanton had been getting his timing back — you could see it in the prior 2 games — and in this game he broke through.

3. Volpe Energizes Crooked Number in 5th

It was still only a 1-0 game in the 5th when Isiah Kiner-Falefa led off with a walk, and Kyle Higashioka — the Perfect Game Catcher — doubled to left, scoring Kiner-Falefa for a 2-0 Yankee lead.

Anthony Volpe — coming off a 3-4 performance the prior game — bunted — and beat it out to 1st — the pitcher throwing the ball away into right field, Higashioka scoring and Volpe sprinting to 2nd. NY 3 A’s 0.

Volpe then stole 3rd base.

Volpe then scored on a single by DJ LeMahieu — Yankees 4 Oakland 0.

“Anthony Volpe is becoming Anthony Volpe.” said Suzyn Waldman on the broadcast. “Now you’re seeing the guy everyone was talking about.”

That seemed to break Oakland’s back — an Anthony Rizzo grounder was mishandled for an error by 1st baseman Ryan Noda to load the bases with nobody out. JP Sears exited stage left.

Giancarlo Stanton ripped a single to left off reliever Shintaro Fujinami and it was 6-0 NY.

Fujinami struck out the next 2 batters but then Isiah Kiner-Falefa came up for the 2nd time in the inning and ripped a single to right for a 7-0 NY lead.

4. Rizzo Great Play in the Bottom of 5th

Anthony Rizzo made the defensive play of the game — saving what would be the No Hitter — with a diving stop of a shot down 1st by Seth Brown in the bottom of the 5th, then tossing to German covering for the 2nd out of the inning.

5. Pressure Ratchets

The Yanks tagged on another run in the top of the 7th on a Giancarlo Stanton walk, Harrison Bader single, and Josh Donaldson sac fly.

In the bottom of the 7th, the pressure started to ratchet — everyone knew what was going on. German got fly out, strike out, ground out. And in the 8th, the pressure ratcheting higher — German got pop out, ground out, ground out.

6. Yanks Score 3 More in 9th as German Waits

Then in the top of the 9th — the Yankee offense gave German a breather. Not a good thing!

German had to wait in the dugout — 3 outs from the Perfect Game — as the Yankee offense had a long inning.

  • Anthony Rizzo worked a 1-out walk, Oswaldo Cabrera (who had come in as a pinch runner in the 7th for Stanton) singled, Harrison Bader grounded out for a run, and with 2 outs, Josh Donaldson doubled in a run.

German could be seen sitting on the bench by himself — tradition for Perfect Games or No Hitters.

  • Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded out for another run to make it 11-0 NY.

German then started to warm up on the sidelines until finally the last out of the top of the 9th was made (Higgy lined out to right).

7. The 9th Inning

To the 9th. Pressure intense.

First batter — Aledmys Diaz. German threw a ball way outside with an off-speed pitch. He could be seen on the mound taking a deep breath. Then 2 curveballs for strikes. Then a sharply hit grounder up the middle — Anthony Volpe on it — but this is the type of grounder Volpe has muffed several times this year. This time — he makes the play. PHEW #1.

Second batter — Shea Langeliers — German throws a first-pitch curveball and Langeliers pops it up to center. Harrison Bader waving his arms calling everyone off. Out #2!

Last batter — Esteury Ruiz — first-pitch curveball and Ruiz hits a shot toward 3rd that off the bat looked like it was going to be a single to left — but no it is a sharp grounder to Josh Donaldson at 3rd who makes the play for the old ballgame. Perfect Play Ballgame!

“The key there was not to over-throw,” said German “I was feeling the pressure but I did not want to overthrow — keep the same focus from the 1st inning, understand the length of attack that we were using during the game, and keep executing.”

8. German Tributes the Game to His Uncle

German mentioned afterwards that a close uncle died the day before and he spent the day crying. “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 was a tribute to him.”

9. German Asks for Picture with Team

Afterwards, pictures were being taken of German and Higashioka — and German asked for a picture to be taken with the team.

When asked about the pressure he was feeling in the 9th, Kyle Higashoika said “A lot. Took extra couple of seconds to press the button on each of those pitches, because you just don’t want to mess it up. But he was fantastic tonite, and he deserves all the credit.”

Etcetera

  • German threw 9 innings, allowing 0 hits, 0 runs, there were 0 errors, struck out 9, and threw 99 pitches. German wears #0. A #99 and #0 numerology explosion!
  • German improves his record to 5-5 4.54.
  • Anthony Volpe went 2-4 to rais his average to .208 (.285 OBP).

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401472219

 

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