David Cone Pitches a Perfect Game on Yogi Berra Day

On July 18, 1999, David Cone of the New York Yankees retired all 27 Montreal Expos batters he faced to pitch the 16th perfect game in major league history, winning 6-0 at Yankee Stadium. The setting made it unforgettable. It was Yogi Berra Day, a ceremony reuniting the legendary catcher with the franchise after a 14-year feud with owner George Steinbrenner. Before the game, Don Larsen threw a ceremonial first pitch to Berra, reprising the battery that had produced the only perfect game in World Series history 43 years earlier.

Cone needed just 88 pitches to complete the masterpiece, the lowest total for a nine-inning perfect game in the modern era. He struck out 10 Expos, including the side in the third inning. The closest call came in the eighth when Jose Vidro lined a ball toward the hole on the right side. Second baseman Chuck Knoblauch ranged far to his right to snag it and threw across his body to retire Vidro by a step.

The 36-year-old right-hander dropped to his knees after Orlando Cabrera popped out to third baseman Scott Brosius for the final out. Catcher Joe Girardi sprinted to the mound and embraced Cone as 41,930 fans roared. Cone later described the experience as an out-of-body moment, saying he felt as if he were floating through the late innings.

Cone had battled injuries throughout his career, including an aneurysm in his pitching shoulder in 1996 that required surgery. He came back from that procedure to help the Yankees win four World Series titles between 1996 and 2000. The perfect game was the crown jewel of his tenure in pinstripes.

The interleague matchup against Montreal marked the first no-hitter in regular-season interleague play. It was also the third perfect game in Yankees history, following Larsen's in 1956 and David Wells's in 1998. The convergence of Berra Day, Larsen's presence, and Cone's perfection produced one of the most poetic afternoons in baseball history.