Here’s video of the final play of Wednesday night’s perfect game by the Giants’ Matt Cain:
That play, carried off by third baseman Joaquin Arias and first baseman Brandon Belt, wasn’t as easy as it looked. The ball was sharply hit and Arias took a stutter-step before throwing to first for the final out to complete the perfect game; the throw beat baserunner Jason Castro by a couple of steps.
This came after two other fine outfield plays that helped save perfection, one by Melky Cabrera, another by Gregor Blanco (the latter a spectacular dive onto the warning track). You often see plays like this save no-hitters or perfect games (DeWayne Wise’s in Mark Buehrle’s perfect game in 2009 is the gold standard for these), and Wednesday night was no exception.
For more on Cain’s perfect game, please visit McCovey Chronicles and SB Nation Bay Area.