Baseball is a funny sport.
There will always be unlikely heroes. That’s the nature of the beast. But if you asked a New York Yankees fan which starting pitcher would be the least likely to throw a perfect game, Domingo Germán would’ve likely been a universal answer. And Germán did just that, authoring the 24th perfect game in Major League history in an 11-0 win over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday evening.
And yet, the start beforehand, Germán became the first Yankees pitcher to surrender 10 or more runs in a game since 2019. So, it was only firing that he became the first pitcher to twirl a perfect game since Félix Hernández did in 2012.
You can’t predict baseball, Suzyn.
This is ironic because John Sterling wasn’t on the call for Wednesday night’s game. Instead, it was Justin Shackil who was alongside Suzyn Waldman. You can enjoy the radio call of Germán’s perfect game on WFAN below:
.@JustinShackil and Suzyn Waldman on the radio call of Domingo German's perfect game pic.twitter.com/I4xIlNNUx8
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 29, 2023
Sterling wasn’t the only one absent from the broadcast booth on Wednesday. Michael Kay didn’t make the trip out to Oakland, which allowed Ryan Ruocco to be the soundtrack for YES Network’s call of Germán’s perfect game.
https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1674271096651259904?s=20
Ruocco did an excellent job of letting the moment breathe.
And perhaps this moment was a bit more special for him, considering that he and Shackil, who are close friends, had the opportunity to fill in for their counterparts and be on the call when history was made.
One of my best friends and I announced perfection. pic.twitter.com/w7wiZyjJGW
— Justin Shackil (@JustinShackil) June 29, 2023
Dallas Braden, who was the last pitcher to throw a perfect game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, offered his thoughts on Germán’s performance. Braden did so over 13 years ago on Mother’s Day in 2010.
“From the 1st pitch of the ballgame, Domingo Germán showed you things were working well. Fastball, curveball, changeup, everything was on its best behavior tonight for Domingo Germán.”
Dallas Braden, who threw a perfect game in 2010, weighs in on Domingo Germán's performance.
"From the 1st pitch of the ballgame, Domingo Germán showed you things were working well. Fastball, curveball, changeup, everything was on its best behavior tonight for Domingo Germán." pic.twitter.com/kPDAFvAZXY
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 29, 2023
27 up, 27 down. Germán was perfect and so were the calls.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.