Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán throws first perfect game since 2012, 24th in MLB history

New York Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán secured his spot in the history books Wednesday night as he pitched the MLB's first perfect game since 2012 and the league's 24th overall.

The right-hander retired every Oakland batter during the 11-0 away victory over the Athletics.

It was the first perfect game in the majors this year and the MLB’s first since Seattle Mariners ace Félix Hernández accomplished the feat against the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 15, 2012.

"So exciting," Germán said after the game, via a translator. "When you think about something very unique in baseball, not many people have an opportunity to pitch a perfect game. To accomplish something like this in my career is something that I’m going to remember forever."

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Germán became the fourth Yankee to pitch a perfect game, joining Don Larsen (1956), David Wells (1998) and David Cone (1999). Larsen’s performance notably came in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the then-Brooklyn Dodgers. It was the 13th no-hitter in Yankees history.

The Yankees became the first franchise with four perfect games, with the Chicago White Sox at three.

Germán also earned his 500th career strikeout during the contest.

His efficient performance included throwing 72 strikes on 99 pitches – 51 curveballs, 30 fastballs, 17 changeups and one sinker.

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He went to three balls on a batter just twice.

Germán fell behind Ryan Noda 3-1 in the fourth and Jonah Bride by the same count in the eighth.

Germán struck Noda out on consecutive curveballs, and he followed with three straight curves to Bride, the third resulting in a groundout.

"It was just so fun to watch him do that and go to work. We’ve seen him flirt with outings like that over time," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, referencing Germán’s no-hit bid in July 2021 that was spoiled in the eighth inning.

He added: "When he gets rolling like that he’s just so fun to watch at his craft because he’s so good at commanding all of his pitches. His curveball was great tonight, but because his changeup and his fastball were good, too, it made that curveball even more special."

The crowd of 12,479 leaped on its feet for the ninth inning as Germán looked to finish what he started.

Two quick outs left Germán one batter, Esteury Ruiz, standing in the way of the perfect game.

When Ruiz grounded out to third baseman Josh Donaldson, New York's dugout and bullpen emptied, and Germán’s teammates raced to the mound to celebrate.

"That last inning was very different — very different. I felt an amount of pressure that I’ve never felt before," Germán said. "I’m trying to visualize what I want to execute there. At the same time, I don’t want to miss. So much pressure, but yet so rewarding."

He added: "The key there was not to overthrow,".

After the contest, A’s leadoff hitter Tony Kemp said Germán’s curveball was the element that set up everything else.

"He threw that curveball in any count that he wanted to," Kemp said. "It was spinning differently and moving differently. He put his fastball where he wanted to. Changeup as well. He just kind of mixed them. Got a couple of good swings off him, but no results."

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The perfect game came six days after Germán allowed a career-high 10 runs (eight earned) and four homers over 3 1/3 innings in a loss to the Mariners at home.

"This has not been an easy week or time for him," Boone said. "For him to go out there and paint that masterpiece was really just a lot of fun just to be able to watch."

Giancarlo Stanton homered for the first time in more than two weeks and drove in three runs, and Donaldson added three RBIs against his former team.

Higashioka had an RBI double, then scored when Anthony Volpe reached on an infield single and Sears flipped the ball wildly into foul territory. Volpe took second on the error, stole third and then scored on DJ LeMahieu’s single.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who walked leading off the inning and scored, capped the uprising with a two-out RBI single.

The Yankees were winless in six previous outings against the A’s, who hold the worst record in the majors at 21-61. New York has won 15 of 21 games against the A’s going back to Aug. 31, 2019.

The contest marks quite a personal turnaround for Germán, who after a successful 2019 season with the Yankees was put on administrative leave late that season amid an MLB investigation into an alleged domestic violence incident involving his girlfriend.

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He then missed the entire pandemic-shortened 2020 season and playoffs as he served an 81-game suspension. He returned in February 2021.

Germán’s record game also came off a pair of terrible starts and after the 30-year-old pitcher served a 10-game suspension last month. He was previously ejected from a game in Toronto for using an illegal sticky substance on the mound.

"I’m just happy for Domingo. He’s had a rough last couple starts and he’s kind of been dragging a little bit," Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka said. "I kind of always felt like of anyone, he has a really good chance to do something like this and for it all to come together tonight is just amazing."

Fans seemingly echoed Higashioka's sentiments as Germán was loudly cheered throughout the entire contest, a much-needed pick-me-up two days after the pitcher experienced the death of a family member.

"Unfortunately, two days ago an uncle of mine passed away and I cried a lot yesterday in the clubhouse. So I had him with me throughout the whole game. I was thinking about him," Germán said. "This game is a tribute to him. He would have been so happy. He was always someone that really brought a joy to our family and it happened for him to watch it this way, from up there."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Uterine cancer deaths could soon outnumber deaths from ovarian cancer, oncologist says: ‘We need to do better’

The most common type of gynecologic cancer in the U.S. has been on the rise in recent years — and there’s no standard screening for it.

Uterine cancer will affect about 66,200 women in 2023 in the U.S. — and around 13,000 will die from the disease, per the American Cancer Society (ACS).

"While we are seeing a downward trend in overall cancer cases, uterine cancer is one of the few types where we're seeing an upward trend," said Dr. Brian Slomovitz, director of gynecologic oncology and co-chair of the Cancer Research Committee at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida, in an interview with Fox News Digital.

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"We’re anticipating that the number of deaths in the United States due to uterine cancer is soon going to outnumber the deaths due to ovarian cancer," he added.

To help raise awareness, the International Society of Gynecologic Cancer announced the first-ever Uterine Cancer Awareness Month in June.

Slomovitz — who also serves as chair of the Uterine Cancer Awareness Month initiative — spoke to Fox News Digital about the state of uterine cancer and what women need to know.

The terms "uterine cancer" and "endometrial cancer" are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference, Slomovitz said.

A vast majority of these types of cancers occur in the outer and inner layers of the uterus, known as the endometrium — hence the term "endometrial cancer."

About 4% to 5% of the cancers occur in the muscle of the uterus. These are known as uterine sarcomas.

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"Sarcomas are aggressive diseases with a tremendously high death rate," Slomovitz explained. "But all of them fall in the category of uterine cancers."

Obesity is the biggest risk factor for uterine cancer, Slomovitz said.

"Fat tissue increases the amount of estrogen in the body, and endometrial cancer is a hyper estrogenic," he explained. "It stimulates the lining of the uterus to the point of uncontrolled proliferation into cancer."

Overweight women (with a body mass index of 25 to 29.9) have twice the risk of developing uterine cancer as women at a healthy weight, the ACS website states.

Obese women (BMI of 30 or higher) have three times the risk.

Those with diabetes, which is closely related to obesity, are also at a higher risk.

A less common risk factor could be polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which is a hormonal disorder that can lead to enlarged ovaries and the formation of cysts. 

PCOS leads to elevated estrogen levels and lower progesterone levels, which can raise the risk of endometrial cancer, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS) website.

Some hereditary syndromes can make women more susceptible to uterine cancer.

"One of those is Lynch syndrome, which was often associated with colorectal cancer," said Slomovitz.

"We know that half the women who develop cancer from Lynch syndrome develop endometrial cancer."

Age is also a risk factor, as most patients are diagnosed in their 50s and 60s, the doctor said.

"The increase in cases may be due to obesity, but we're also seeing longer life expectancy," he noted. "The older people get, the more likely that they are to get endometrial cancer, obviously."

While other cancers have specific, recommended screenings — such as mammograms for breast cancer and colonoscopies for colorectal cancer — there are no pre-symptomatic screenings for uterine cancers, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Pap smear (Pap test) checks for cervical cancer and precancerous cells in the cervix, but does not screen for uterine cancer.

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The most common sign or symptom of uterine cancer is abnormal bleeding, Slomovirz said.

"Most uterine cancer patients have postmenopausal bleeding as an early sign or symptom — however, that's not the case for everyone," he said.

In premenopausal women, it can be more difficult to determine what constitutes "abnormal" bleeding, the doctor noted. 

"They shouldn't just assume it's changes in their menstrual cycle," he said. 

In the absence of a formal screening process, Slomovitz stressed the need to recognize symptoms and take quick action.

"We need to better educate patients to come see their doctors sooner if they have symptoms," he told Fox News Digital. 

In addition to bleeding, other symptoms may include pelvic pain or pelvic pressure.

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"We always tell people that if they have symptoms that are worsening or if they persist after 10 to 14 days, they should come in to see their doctor just to make sure everything's OK," Slomovitz said.

"We're still seeing a large number of patients who are diagnosed with advanced and recurrent disease."

The diagnosis process typically starts with an ultrasound to take images of the uterus, followed by a tissue biopsy — either to diagnose or rule out the disease, said Slomovitz.

In cases of advanced cancer, patients will usually get additional tests — such as chest X-rays, CT scans, MRIs or PET scans — to determine if the disease has spread.

"It traditionally spreads through the lymphatic system, which means lymph nodes can be enlarged," Slomovitz explained. "It can also spread to the liver or the lungs through the blood system."

In patients who have had endometrial cancer in the past, a gynecologic oncologist will instruct them that for any future symptoms, recurring cancer must be ruled out. 

"They're cancer patients — so even in the non-specific symptoms, it's worthy of seeing their oncologist again to make sure it's not coming back," Slomovitz said.

In women who are diagnosed with uterine cancer, one of the first steps is usually a hysterectomy, which is the removal of the uterus.

"Eighty percent of women are cured with a hysterectomy," Slomovitz said.

To further minimize risk, the doctor said medical professionals will often do lymph node sampling as well to make sure the cancer hasn't spread.

"But for the additional 20% of patients who have advanced or recurrent disease, systemic therapies are needed," he said. "We need to do better with treatment options for uterine cancer."

For these aggressive cases, the systemic therapies have been chemotherapy or hormonal therapy, which uses progesterone to slow down tumor growth.

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This year, Slomovitz said, some breakthrough studies have shown that immunotherapy can be given in the first-line management of the disease.

Immunotherapy treatments work by helping the immune system to slow, stop or destroy cancer cells. It’s shown to be effective for lung cancer, oral cancer and melanoma, the doctor pointed out.

At the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in May 2023, researchers presented promising results for a new class of drugs called antibody-drug conjugates (ADCS), a targeted therapy for treating cancer, Slomovitz said.

Future studies will continue to look at these types of targeted drugs.

"One of my career goals is to use immunotherapy and targeted therapy to eliminate the need for chemotherapy and its associated toxicities and side effects," Slomovitz said.

Another "groundbreaking" advancement Slomovitz is particularly excited about is molecular classification, which divides uterine cancers into four different subtypes — thus allowing for more precise, personalized treatment options.

"We're in a very exciting time," he said. "There are some game-changing studies that are coming out, as we try to fill this unmet need to help our patients live longer."

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