It was one of those days–the kind where people remember exactly where they were when they heard the news.
Twenty-five years ago, July 28, 1991, Dennis Martinez, pitching for the now defunct Montreal Expos, threw a perfect game–the 13th in the history of major league baseball–beating the Los Angles Dodgers 2-0.
No one–absolutely no one–reached base.
To say that is rare is to understate it.
Consider for a moment that there 30 teams in Major League Baseball, who play 162 games each.
Before 1961 there were 16 teams. They played 154 games a season.
Professional baseball in North America goes back to 1869.
Do the math.
In the major league baseball history, pitchers have done what Dennis Martinez did that Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles 23 times.
For many fans, it’s the most positive highlight in Expos history.
What Martinez did that afternoon was–in baseball terms–remarkable.
How he did it–in human terms–is more so.
The 13th perfect game in major league baseball history was simply a continuation and confirmation of something Martinez had started eight years before when he cast aside his addiction to alcohol, beginning professional and personal comeback that continues to this day.
I spoke to him Thursday in Miami, where he lives when he is not in his native Nicaragua working with underprivileged kids, helping them learn about baseball, and making sure they stay in school.
Listen
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