MLB:

For the 18th time that season, the ball would be entrusted to the battle-tested 36-year-old, but the Montreal Expos’ lineup was not at the forefront of the right-handed pitcher’s mind as he made the 12-minute commute from his apartment at the corner of 56th Street and Second Avenue.

The painted white No. 8 on the grass behind home plate promised that this day should be memorable for everyone in attendance. No one could have guessed how historic it would prove to be.

For the 20th anniversary of David Cone’s perfect game, we spoke to some of the key people at the stadium that afternoon who witnessed one of the greatest summer days in Yankees history.

Perfect games are rare. Perfect games like this will never happen again. On a personal note, I was in New York City for this game. I had a podcast listener invite me to it – he had an extra ticket. But, because the Yankees (my favourite team) were playing the lowly Montreal Expos and I had a meeting with Jim Dalrymple, Peter Cohen, and the late Stan Flack of MacCentral, I decided to pass and maybe go to the next day’s game.

By the time I got back to my hotel and turned on the TV, the game was in the sixth inning. I spent the next three innings screaming at the Expos players to get a hit, get a walk, get hit by a pitch – DO SOMETHING – to break up Cone’s perfection.

They didn’t.