Perfect game! Yankees' Domingo German pitches his way into baseball history

You never know when you might be watching a bit of baseball history.

Especially on a late Wednesday night in Oakland.

But that's what happened as New York Yankees starter Domingo German pitched his way into the Major League record books with a perfect game in an 11-0 win over the Athletics.

"So exciting when you think about something very unique in baseball," German said through his interpreter to YES Network's Meredith Marakovits after the game.

"Not many people have an opportunity to pitch a perfect game. To accomplish something like this in my career is something I'm going to remember forever."

Twitter Reaction: What they're saying on social media about Domingo German's perfect game

It is the fourth perfect game in franchise history as German joins the likes of Don Larsen in the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers, David Wells in 1998 against the Minnesota Twins, and David Cone in 1999 against the Montreal Expos.

But unlike those three historic events, the 30-year-old righthander becomes the first Yankees pitcher to toss a perfect game on the road.

History books for Domingo German

It is the 24th perfect game in Major League Baseball history and first since the Seattle Mariners' Felix Hernandez did it to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2012.

It was the 13th no-hitter in Yankees history, including Larsen’s perfect game in the World Series. Corey Kluber pitched their previous no-hitter against the Texas Rangers on May 19, 2021.

The final three outs

With the crowd of 12,479 on its feet for the bottom of the ninth inning, Germán got Aledmys Díaz to ground out before Shea Lanegeliers flied out to short center field. When Esteury Ruiz grounded out to third baseman Josh Donaldson to end it, the Yankees' dugout and bullpen emptied as Germán’s teammates raced out to the mound to celebrate.

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

“The key there was not to overthrow,” he added. “I was feeling the pressure in that inning but at the same time I wanted to not overthrow, keep that same focus from the first inning, understand the lanes of attack we were using during the game and keep executing.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Domingo German pitches perfect game for New York Yankees vs. Athletics