July 18, 1999. A Sunday afternoon in July, 98 degrees and climbing. Yankee Stadium had already been the site of something extraordinary before David Cone threw a single pitch.
Before the game, Don Larsen walked to the mound and threw a ceremonial first pitch to Yogi Berra. They were the battery from October 8, 1956 -- the only perfect game in World Series history. In 43 years, not a single Yankee had matched what Larsen did that October afternoon at this same stadium. Berra had caught every pitch of it, crouching behind the plate until the final out landed, then leaping into Larsen's arms in a moment so photographed it became shorthand for joy itself. Now they were old men on the infield grass, and 41,930 people were there to honor Yogi -- to bring him back. (Berra hadn't set foot in the Stadium for years. He and Steinbrenner had a falling out, a broken promise, and Yogi simply refused to return until there was a public apology. This day was the apology. This was what that looked like.)
That's the context. That's what the day was supposed to be.
The Man on the Mound
Cone was 36 years old, pitching in his 13th major league season, and he'd already cheated the game once. In May 1996, a routine physical turned up an aneurysm in the artery of his right shoulder -- the pitching arm. He had surgery, missed most of the season, and came back in September to throw seven no-hit innings against Oakland as if the interruption hadn't happened. His team won the World Series six weeks later. The arm held.
It held again in 1998, when Cone went 20-7 and set the record for the longest gap between 20-win seasons in baseball history -- eleven years, back to his 20-3 season with the 1988 Mets. He was 9-4 with a 2.65 ERA on the morning of July 18. Not a pitcher in decline. Not a pitcher clinging on. A very good pitcher, pitching very well, who happened to walk to the mound on the most charged afternoon in the Bronx in years.
Nine Innings
Javier Vázquez started for the Montreal Expos -- twenty-one years old, in his first big league season. (Vázquez would pitch for the Yankees himself in 2004 and again in 2010. He was good. Nobody remembers his part of this day.) The game was interleague play, which added another wrinkle: if Cone finished what he was building, it would be the first no-hit game between American and National League clubs in the regular season.
Wilton Guerrero struck out to lead off -- the first of 27 consecutive Montreal batters to make an out. The Expos were young, averaging under 26 years old, but the lineup included Vladimir Guerrero in right and José Vidro at second. These weren't soft outs. Guerrero -- the Hall of Famer, the best player on that roster by a wide margin -- went down on a slider away. The crowd understood what they might be watching.
In the second inning, the Yankees made it easy on him: Ricky Ledée launched a two-run homer to the third deck in right, then Derek Jeter put a two-run shot deep into center, in front of the Monument Park numbers. Five runs before the game was 45 minutes old.
Then the rain came.
The game halted in the bottom of the third -- 33 minutes, during a Tino Martinez at-bat. Cone played catch in the tunnel with batboy Luigi "Squeegee" Castillo to stay loose. The delay didn't rattle him. It might have done the opposite. "When I got back out there, everything seemed to click," he said. He struck out the side in the third -- Chris Widger, Shane Andrews, and Orlando Cabrera in order. The count never reached three balls on a single Expos batter. Not once.
In the eighth, Paul O'Neill doubled to right and Bernie Williams singled him home -- 6-0 -- as if the offense felt obligated to put a little more distance between Cone and whatever might go wrong. Vázquez, to his credit, gave up just two hits through the middle innings and kept pitching. This wasn't his afternoon. He pitched it well anyway.
The Final Out
Orlando Cabrera -- the same Cabrera who'd struck out in the third inning -- stepped in to lead off the ninth. Cone had thrown exactly 26 of his 88 pitches in the first three innings before the rain. On a 1-1 count in the ninth, Cabrera popped a foul ball toward third.
Scott Brosius drifted, lost it briefly in the July sun, and made the catch.
Cone dropped to his knees.
Joe Girardi -- who'd been handed Yogi Berra's own catcher's mitt before the game, Berra telling him "You take it from here" -- sprinted out from behind the plate and they met somewhere between home and the mound. The Stadium became a single sound.
When Cone got back to the clubhouse, Don Larsen and Yogi Berra were waiting at his locker. They'd come down together. They hugged him.
"You probably have a better chance of winning the lottery than this happening," Cone said afterward. "The stars aligned."
He'd thrown exactly 88 pitches.
Yogi Berra's number.
| Date | July 18, 1999 (Sunday) |
| Score | Yankees 6, Expos 0 |
| Attendance | 41,930 (Yankee Stadium) |
| Cone's Pitching Line | 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K, 88 pitches |
| Perfect Game No. | 16th in MLB history; 3rd in Yankees history |
| Final Out | Orlando Cabrera pop-up to Scott Brosius (3B), 1-1 count |
| Cone's Record Entering Game | 9-4, 2.65 ERA (finished season 12-9) |
| Key Plays | Ledée 2-run HR + Jeter 2-run HR (2nd inning, 5-0); O'Neill/Williams (8th, 6-0) |
Larsen Throws the Only Other One
Don Larsen pitches a perfect game in Game 5 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium, with Yogi Berra catching. Berra leaps into Larsen's arms after the final out. No Yankee would match it for 43 years.
Cone Diagnosed With Aneurysm
An aneurysm in the artery of Cone's right shoulder is discovered. He has surgery and misses most of the 1996 season. The career interruption that should have ended him instead becomes part of his story.
The Comeback Start
Less than four months after surgery, Cone returns and throws seven no-hit innings against the Oakland Athletics. The arm that was supposed to be finished is working fine. The Yankees go on to win the World Series.
Don Larsen Throws the First Pitch
Before the game, on Yogi Berra Day, Don Larsen throws a ceremonial first pitch to Yogi Berra -- recreating the battery from the 1956 World Series perfect game. Yogi hands catcher Joe Girardi his mitt: "You take it from here."
Second Inning: Five Runs
Ricky Ledée hits a two-run homer to the third deck in right. Derek Jeter follows with a two-run shot to deep center. Yankees lead 5-0 before the third inning begins. Cone has all the room he'll need.
33-Minute Rain Delay
The game stops in the bottom of the third inning. Cone plays catch with batboy Luigi "Squeegee" Castillo to stay loose during the wait. When the game resumes, he strikes out the side -- Widger, Andrews, Cabrera -- in order.
The Final Out
Orlando Cabrera pops a 1-1 pitch toward third base. Scott Brosius catches it. Cone drops to his knees. Girardi sprints out from behind the plate. The 16th perfect game in major league history is complete.
The Locker Room
Cone returns to the clubhouse to find Don Larsen and Yogi Berra waiting at his locker. The two men who'd defined this kind of afternoon 43 years earlier are there to welcome him into the company. He threw 88 pitches. Yogi's number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who caught David Cone's perfect game?
Joe Girardi caught Cone's perfect game. (Jorge Posada had caught Wells' perfect game the year before -- this time it was Girardi behind the plate.) On Yogi Berra Day, Berra handed Girardi his own catcher's mitt before the game and told him "You take it from here."
Why was July 18, 1999 called Yogi Berra Day?
The day honored Yogi Berra's return to Yankee Stadium. Berra had refused to set foot in the building for years after George Steinbrenner broke a personal agreement with him. Steinbrenner eventually offered a public apology, and July 18, 1999 was the reconciliation ceremony -- bringing Yogi back to the place he'd defined.
What was the significance of Don Larsen being at the game?
Don Larsen threw the only other perfect game in Yankees history -- the famous Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. He threw the ceremonial first pitch to Yogi Berra before Cone's game, recreating the battery from 1956. When Cone finished it, Larsen and Berra were waiting at his locker. The symmetry was impossible to plan for.
How many pitches did David Cone throw?
Exactly 88 pitches -- 68 strikes, 20 balls. The lowest pitch count in any of his 56 career complete games. Yogi Berra's retired number is 8. Cone never reached a three-ball count on any of the 27 batters he faced.
Was Cone's the first interleague perfect game?
Yes -- it was the first no-hit game in regular season interleague play. The Montreal Expos were a National League team; the Yankees were American League. The interleague format was still relatively new in 1999, and Cone's game became its most historic moment.