Matt Cain turned in one of the most dominant performances in recent memory Wednesday night, going 27 up and 27 down against the Astros for the 22nd perfect game in MLB history.
Cain was overpowering with 14 strikeouts, which ties Sandy Koufax for the most ever in a perfect game. And the Giants right-hander also got a little help from his defense as left fielder Melky Cabrera made a leaping catch at the wall in the sixth inning and right fielder Gregor Blanco preserved the perfection with a fantastic diving catch at the warning track in the seventh inning.
Cain made quick work of the Astros in the ninth inning, entering the final frame with 114 pitches and then needing just 11 more to get a foul out, a fly out, and a game-ending ground out to third base. Oh, and the Giants won 10-0.
Philip Humber threw the last perfect game on April 21 of this season, striking out nine and setting the Mariners down in order on just 94 pitches. This is just the second time in modern baseball history that there have been two perfect games in the same season, with the other being 2010 when Dallas Braden and Roy Halladay both accomplished the feat.
