OAKLAND — No walks. No hits. No errors. No problem.
Jamie Moyer was flawless Tuesday afternoon, retiring all 27 Colorado Rockies he faced in a masterful 5-0 perfect game at Oakland Coliseum. The 32-year-old southpaw etched his name into baseball history, delivering one of the sport’s rarest and most celebrated feats with clinical precision and the calm demeanor of a man mowing his lawn.
“I still don’t believe it,” Moyer said postgame, standing in front of a mob of reporters in the A’s clubhouse. “Throwing a perfect game just doesn’t seem real.”
It was real, alright. Real dominant. Moyer struck out seven, didn’t issue a walk, and barely broke a sweat across 104 efficient pitches—64 of them strikes. The veteran lefty mixed speeds, painted corners, and made a veteran-laden Rockies lineup look utterly helpless.
“He had us guessing all day,” said Colorado outfielder Tim Salmon, who struck out twice. “You tip your cap. That was surgical.”
Moyer’s gem is the first perfect game in Oakland franchise history and the latest reminder that you don’t have to throw 98 to dominate. His fastball might not crack a radar gun’s ego, but when he’s hitting spots like he did today, good luck trying to barrel him up.
And while Moyer was putting on a pitching clinic, his teammates gave him breathing room early. The A’s plated one in the second and four more in the third, highlighted by a three-run shot off the bat of center fielder Devon White—his 11th of the year. Rickey Henderson added an RBI single, while Hensley “Bam Bam” Meulens doubled and scored.
The Rockies, meanwhile, looked utterly flat. They didn’t reach base. They didn’t threaten. And thanks to two costly errors, they didn’t help their cause defensively either. Orel Hershiser took the loss, falling to 7-11 on the season despite going the distance.
Moyer, now 9-7 with a 3.73 ERA, has been quietly dependable in an otherwise turbulent season for the 41-73 Athletics. But on this day, he wasn’t just dependable—he was untouchable.
“I had the best control of my life today,” Moyer said with a grin. “It felt almost effortless. I never knew throwing a perfect game would be so easy.”
Of course, it’s not. Only 15 pitchers in the modern era have done it before him. And none of them made it look quite this casual.
For one afternoon in Oakland, Jamie Moyer was perfect. And if you blinked, you missed it.
BOX SCORE HIGHLIGHTS
- Final: Athletics 5, Rockies 0
- Player of the Game: Jamie Moyer (9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 7 K)
- Offensive Standouts: Devon White (3-run HR), Hensley Meulens (2-for-4, double), Rickey Henderson (RBI single)
- Attendance: 34,592
- Time: 2:19