Magic was drifting in off the San Francisco Bay 13 years ago.
On June 13, 2012, right-handed pitcher Matt Cain took the mound for the Giants.
And 27 batters later, he was embracing catcher Buster Posey after throwing a perfect game.
It remains one of the rarest moments in MLB history. Only 24 pitchers have thrown a perfect game, two of them since Cain did it.
That night, Cain threw 125 pitches to accomplish the feat, striking out 14 of the 27 outs he got. He struck out a young Jose Altuve all three times they matched up.
13 years ago today, Matt Cain was perfect at 3rd & King.
Where were you for one of the most iconic moments in franchise history? pic.twitter.com/CmB4Zigng4
— KNBR (@KNBR) June 13, 2025
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The Giants made things comfortable, routing the Houston Astros 10-0. Melky Cabrera, Brandon Belt and Gregor Blanco all homered.
Cain even outdid the Astros. He was 1-for-3 at the plate and scored a run.
There were 42,298 fans in attendance that night, along with home plate umpire Ted Barrett, who was also behind the dish for David Cone’s Yankees perfecto in 1999.
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Cain was in his age-27 season, his absolute prime. He finished the year with a 16-5 record and a 2.79 ERA.
The two-time World Series champion had a bumpier conclusion to his career down the road, but he always had this night of brilliance in a career filled with plenty of impressive moments.
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