Perfect

Perfection.

The word that we all strive for in life and very rarely ever achieve.

But on the night of June 13, 2012, Matt Cain was just that.

If you don't know the details by now, Cain became the first San Francisco Giants pitcher in the franchise's 130 year history to throw a perfect game, meaning he faced 27 batters and got all of them out, an accomplishment only done only 21 previous times prior to last night.

Luckily, I was there.

And I almost wasn't.

My friend, and only a friend for those wondering, was in town for a few weeks and we planned to catch a Giants game together and it just so happened to be Wednesday night.

I almost canceled because Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals was supposed to be played between the Kings and Devils but LA took care of that when they won the cup Monday night, opening the door for me to go to the game.

As the two of us were walking towards the ballpark, my friend asked me if I went to the World Series in 2010 and how that was like.

I told her it was cool but it wasn't one of those fairytale type stories where I could reply and say, "It was the most incredible and memorable thing I've ever been to."

Yes, being at a World Series was great, but because in my line of work as a member of the sports media, you get a little desensitized to big sporting events because you are too busy working.

The best example I have from this is when Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run and set the all time home run record, I wasn't celebrating. I was scrambling to write a script for our breaking news.

I'll clap and cheer mildly at most games, but very rarely do I get loud, hoot and holler like I should and did before when I was a little kid/teenager.

So in some ways, I've lost my joy and passion as a sports fan.

I turned to my friend and basically said that although I enjoy going to games, it would take something really special for me to be get into the "OMG" level of amazement.

The Giants pretty much had that game in control from the 2nd inning on, so the end result was pretty much set in stone in my mind. But there was more to that game than just a win or loss for the orange and black.

I notice quicker than others when a team has yet to collect a base hit, and it really hit me in the 4th inning that the Astros had yet to reach base.

Cain was dealing and in the 5th inning, the entire crowd started to realize it too as they cheered loudly anticipating a strikeout that ended the top of the fifth.

As the game went on, we were inching closer towards seeing history.

I couldn't help but to think back to the first game I ever attended with my mom back in 1990 when Scott Garrelts, the Giants starting pitcher on that Sunday in June, came one out short of a no hitter.

I thought about July 2000 when Livan Hernandez took a no hitter into the 8th inning against the Rockies and how his effort fell short. Ironically that day I was also with my mother.

Curt Schilling of the Red Sox needed one more out for a no hitter in 2007 when he pitched against the A's. I was standing by the Boston dugout as an intern for the Athletics, but Shannon Stewart lined a single to right, breaking up that attempt.

So I thought to myself that this could be it.

Now whenever there's a no hitter, there's always a few defensive plays that are made that keep the no hitter alive.

First, it was Melky Cabrera and his brilliant catch.



And then on a 3-2 pitch in the 7th inning, I knew Cain didn't want to walk the batter, so he was going to throw a strike, and take his chances. The ball was crushed but Gregor Blanco ran this down in what some are calling one of the best catches in baseball history.



So Cain took the mound in the 9th with 42,000+ on their feet, praying and hoping they would see the first perfect game in Giants history.

Cain got the first two batters to pop out to left field, and then he got ahead 1-2 on Jason Castro, the batter who stood between Cain and a perfect game.

Castro chopped a ball to third base. Joaquin Arias moved to his right to pick up the ball, and fired across the diamond in time to seal one of the most incredible moments in San Francisco Giants history.





Yes! Yes! Yes!

Matt Cain did it. Not only a no hitter, but a perfect game.

This feat is something that not many people get to see live and in person, and I was fortunate enough to be there to witness it all.

When a no hitter is going on, it's considered jinxing it if you mention the words "no hitter" so I kept my mouth quiet the entire game.

The funny thing was my friend next to me kept telling me how the game was so lopsided and there was no more drama involved. She had no clue we were close to witnessing something that had only happened 21 times in baseball history.

So for one night, I was that little kid and fan once again, cheering at a spectacle that was larger than life. It's too bad these type of moments don't come often. But then again, it's because these type of moments don't come often that make it so special.

Yes, perfection.