Yankees History: David Cone Throws Perfect Game
On this day in 1999, the New York Yankees celebrated Yogi Berra Day. In the end, David Cone gave them another reason to celebrate, as he threw a perfect game.
If ever there was a day to throw a perfect game for the New York Yankees, it may well have been when the author of arguably the most famous perfect game in baseball history was in attendance. Prior to the Yankees tilt against the Montreal Expos on this day in 1999, the franchise celebrated the legendary Yogi Berra.
As part of the festivities, the Yankees had Don Larsen throw out the ceremonial first pitch to Berra. It was Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series that not only became the first no hitter in the postseason, but the first perfect game in what would be called interleague play during the regular season. After the celebration, David Cone taking the mound felt somewhat anticlimactic.
That is, until Cone started pitching. He proved extremely efficient, getting the Expos to make generally weak contact while cruising through the lineup. It barely seemed as though he was on the mound before the Yankees were batting once again, with their five run explosion during the second inning appearing to be more than enough.
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Cone breezed through the Expos lineup, firing the 16th perfect game in MLB history, and the second ever in interleague play, mirroring Larsen’s accomplishment. He threw only 88 pitches all game, striking out ten batters. Perhaps even more impressively, Cone did not go to a three ball count on any of the batters he faced.
There were two somewhat difficult plays that kept history alive. In the top of the first inning, Paul O’Neill made a diving catch on Terry Jones‘ slicing line drive to right. Then, with one out in the ninth, Ricky Ledee appeared to lose Ryan McGuire‘s shallow fly ball in the sun, which ended up handcuffing him. Ledee managed to hold on to the ball, leaving Cone one out from history. When Scott Brosius squeezed the glove on Orlando Cabrera‘s foul pop for the final out, Cone found his place in baseball history.
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The New York Yankees were expecting to celebrate one perfect game on this day in 1999. Instead, David Cone made sure they had a second one to celebrate.