"It was a team effort... and it turned out perfect."
In quite literally the best-pitched ballgame I have ever seen, Matt Cain threw the 1st ever perfect game in Giants franchise history on Wednesday night. It was so special. Right from the get go, Cain was rolling, and it slowly began to cross every Giants fan's mind, Cain was about to pull it off.
I have grown accustomed to the pitching prowess of the San Francisco Giants, so much so that as I watch the first inning game of every game unfold, I am always thinking no-hitter. Until the opposing team gets a hit, I'm thinking no-hitter. When Matt Cain pitched against the Pirates last month, I believe it was, in the game where the only hit he allowed was a single to opposing pitcher James Harrison, I was thinking no-hitter up until that point. Even in Tim Lincecum's starts this season,from the moment he steps on the mound until he gives up that single to the leadoff batter, I am always thinking no-hitter.
Never has my thought process paid off in such a grand manner.
This orchestral masterpiece was so beautiful, so surreal, I can throw out all the sports cliches I want and I still would not have aptly described this game. It was more than just a game. For a lifelong Giants fan, it was a defining moment, right up there with Barry Bonds' record-breaking home run and the 2010 World Series win.
Cain was rolling all night against a pretty poor Astros lineup. He kept the Astros most dangerous hitter, Jose Altuve, in check for Altuve's 3 at-bats. He was backed by some excellent defense, most notably Melky Cabrera's grab of a near-home run by Snyder, Blanco's diving catch which will stand as the iconic defensive play of this perfect game, and Joaquin Arias' throw to first for the final out, which, mind you, was not an easy throw. He caught the ball flat-footed and was forced to awkwardly hurl it toward Brandon Belt. The throw was a surprisingly strong one. Belt snatched it and immediately leapt off the bag, pocketed the ball, and ran to the mound to mob Cain along with Buster Posey and the rest of the Giants.
The perfect game is certainly the pinnacle in what has been and what should continue to be a marvelous (All-Star-worthy) season for Matt Cain. In light of Lincecum's recent struggles, Cain has been the unquestioned ace of the staff. He has given them quality start after quality start. He has been the ultimate workhorse, deserving of such a prestigious honor.
There are few things in sports as pristine as a perfect game. To completely render a team incapable of even sending just one baserunner to first base; that is truly spectacular. And Matt Cain did it.
It was, in every possible connotation of the word, perfect.
In quite literally the best-pitched ballgame I have ever seen, Matt Cain threw the 1st ever perfect game in Giants franchise history on Wednesday night. It was so special. Right from the get go, Cain was rolling, and it slowly began to cross every Giants fan's mind, Cain was about to pull it off.
I have grown accustomed to the pitching prowess of the San Francisco Giants, so much so that as I watch the first inning game of every game unfold, I am always thinking no-hitter. Until the opposing team gets a hit, I'm thinking no-hitter. When Matt Cain pitched against the Pirates last month, I believe it was, in the game where the only hit he allowed was a single to opposing pitcher James Harrison, I was thinking no-hitter up until that point. Even in Tim Lincecum's starts this season,from the moment he steps on the mound until he gives up that single to the leadoff batter, I am always thinking no-hitter.
Never has my thought process paid off in such a grand manner.
This orchestral masterpiece was so beautiful, so surreal, I can throw out all the sports cliches I want and I still would not have aptly described this game. It was more than just a game. For a lifelong Giants fan, it was a defining moment, right up there with Barry Bonds' record-breaking home run and the 2010 World Series win.
Cain was rolling all night against a pretty poor Astros lineup. He kept the Astros most dangerous hitter, Jose Altuve, in check for Altuve's 3 at-bats. He was backed by some excellent defense, most notably Melky Cabrera's grab of a near-home run by Snyder, Blanco's diving catch which will stand as the iconic defensive play of this perfect game, and Joaquin Arias' throw to first for the final out, which, mind you, was not an easy throw. He caught the ball flat-footed and was forced to awkwardly hurl it toward Brandon Belt. The throw was a surprisingly strong one. Belt snatched it and immediately leapt off the bag, pocketed the ball, and ran to the mound to mob Cain along with Buster Posey and the rest of the Giants.
The perfect game is certainly the pinnacle in what has been and what should continue to be a marvelous (All-Star-worthy) season for Matt Cain. In light of Lincecum's recent struggles, Cain has been the unquestioned ace of the staff. He has given them quality start after quality start. He has been the ultimate workhorse, deserving of such a prestigious honor.
There are few things in sports as pristine as a perfect game. To completely render a team incapable of even sending just one baserunner to first base; that is truly spectacular. And Matt Cain did it.
It was, in every possible connotation of the word, perfect.
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