Matt Cain, as San Francisco Giants pitcher/AP
By Janie McCauley, AP Baseball Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Matt Cain pitched the 22nd perfect game in major league history and first for the Giants on Wednesday night, striking out a career-high 14 batters and getting help from two running catches to beat the Houston Astros 10-0.
Cain's 125-pitch masterpiece featured a pair of great plays by his corner outfielders, and he got pinch-hitter Jason Castro on a grounder to third for his 27th and final out with the sellout crowd of 42,298 roaring.
Left fielder Melky Cabrera chased down Chris Snyder's one-out flyball in the sixth, scurrying back to make a leaping catch on the warning track. Cain raised both arms and slapped his glove in delight when Cabrera made the play. Then, right fielder Gregor Blanco ran into right-center to make a diving catch on the warning track and rob Jordan Schafer for the first out of the seventh. The 27-year-old pitcher hugged Blanco in the dugout after the inning.