Unforgettable: The Day Matt Cain Hit Golf Balls Into McCovey Cove and Got 27 Outs Without Allowing a Baserunner
Photo by: Jason O. Watson (Getty Images)
On a mid-June late afternoon in 2012, the Giants general manager at the time, Brian Sabean looked away as his ace teed off at then-AT&T Park’s home plate along with PGA golfer Dustin Johnson, and even launched a golf ball into McCovey Cove. I remember watching the pregame clips and my dad’s words, “Hope he doesn’t get hurt.” It was such an odd and unlikely sight to behold, especially for a starting pitcher starting that day to participate in such a loose, casual activity. Little did we know, we’d witness something even more improbable and amazing in the coming hours.
Photo by: Jeff Chiu (Associated Press)
The reason Matt Cain’s perfect game stands out so clearly in my mind is that it was a single regular season game and far enough removed from the jumble of Giants playoff memories. And of course, this past week, I was reminded how rare perfect games are, with Domingo German’s perfect game against the A’s; it being the first since Felix Hernandez’s in August of 2012.
Photo by: Jason O. Watson (Getty Images)
During the offseason, on their YouTube channel, the Giants released a video that has a run time of a bit under half an hour titled, “The Untold Story: Matt Cain’s Perfect Game”. Watching the video brought me back to watching it live on television: the anxiety, the tension, the relief, the joy; emotions from various parts of the spectrum. The video was likely filmed during the 2022 season, the 10-year anniversary of the perfect game as well as the World Series win. Some of the key participants of the perfect game reveal what they were thinking at the time and reflect on it 10 years later.
To illustrate what I think and feel now, a little over 11 years removed from that night, I picked lyric excerpts from a couple of songs to take them out of their original context and apply them to a totally different one. It just so happens that I found two songs, one in English and one in Chinese. Each has a slightly different way to describe “unforgettable”.
Unforgettable
In every way
And forever more
That's how you'll stay
你是如此的難以忘記
浮浮沉沉的在我心裏
你的笑容你的一動一舉
都是我所有的記憶
(Translation Credit: Google Translate)
you are so unforgettable
floating in my heart
your smile your every move
all my memories
Photo by: Jeff Chiu (Associated Press)
Photo by: Jason O. Watson (Getty Images)
As sports fans, we have memories that stick with us and we take them everywhere we go, especially ones that bring bunches of joy and elation. Sure, some details of events may fade with time, but specific memories and moments are firmly etched deep within.