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It was in this moment, Yankee fans felt that something was happening.
In a late night west coast matchup against the Oakland A's, an improbable result might be the turning point of a disappointing first half. Disappointing could come off as an exaggeration, especially because the Yankees are 8 games over .500 in a loaded division. We aren't in panic mode like the Mets, Padres, and Cardinals, but that's for another day. Still, between the injuries, Boone's cryptic pressers, Cashman's lack of emphasis, and underproduction from star players, still has created frustration in the first few months of the season.
That's neither here nor there. The turning point mentioned is a historic moment that came from an unexpected player.
Domingo German.
The Yankee pitcher, who has had a whirlwind of a career in pinstripes, just tossed a perfect game for the 24th time in MLB history.
It was the first perfect game in over a decade (Felix Hernandez 2012) and the fourth perfect game in Yankees history, as Germán joins Don Larsen, David Wells, and David Cone. Number zero pitched nine innings, zero hits, zero walks, nine strikeouts, on 99 pitches.
It's been quite the journey for Domingo German. In 2019 he won 18 games for the Yankees, but ultimately became a team villain after hitting his wife at team gala, resulting in an 81 game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy, the harshest suspension levied to a player on domestic violence allegations. Since then he's battled injuries, fight for a spot on the team, and overcome obstacles, such as the recent suspension for substance ejection.
He had to win back the trust of his team, and change his life to try to win back the fans. What he did was awful and unacceptable, and I felt that he should have been removed from the team when it occurred, but mistakes were made. Boone and the team have stated he has made strides to turn things around.
This perfect game may have been the turning point for both teams. This game could spiral the A's into downward spiral, even further than they are already at. They boast a -24 run differential and a 21-61 record, sending them so far to the bottom that a move to Vegas is starting to sound like a great idea. As for the Yankees, this could be the spark that brings the team back. Yesterday's game was the first time the Yankees scored double digit runs since May 30th. Judge is catching balls in the outfield and Rodon is set to return next week.
As I mentioned, the Yankees have had three other pitchers who threw perfect games. In those seasons, the Yanks won the World Series. Could this be the spark that lit the match?