1991: Martínez’s Perfect Game

On This Day in Sports: July 28, 1991

On July 28, 1991, Dennis Martínez retired all 27 Los Angeles Dodgers in order as the Montreal Expos won 2-0 at Dodger Stadium. The Nicaraguan right-hander threw 96 pitches, struck out five and allowed no batter to reach base. He became the first pitcher born outside the United States to complete a major-league perfect game. The public record fixes the central details with unusual clarity: Martínez retired all 27 batters. The Expos won 2-0. Together, those facts explain why July 28, 1991 stands apart from the ordinary flow of a season and deserves to be remembered as a distinct historical moment.

Martínez had rebuilt his career after struggles with alcohol and shoulder problems during the mid-1980s. By 1991 he was a dependable veteran and All-Star for Montreal, combining command, changing speeds and a calm delivery rather than overpowering velocity. Two further details help reconstruct how the achievement unfolded: He threw 96 pitches. Martínez recorded five strikeouts. They move the story beyond a headline by showing the pressure, setting and competitive choices that shaped the decisive action in real time.

The final inning required three different outs. Mike Scioscia flied to left, Stan Javier struck out and Chris Gwynn drove a ball deep to center. Marquis Grissom tracked it near the warning track and made the catch that completed perfection. The wider context is equally important. Marquis Grissom caught the final out. He was the first foreign-born MLB pitcher with a perfect game. Those points connect one day’s performance to a longer career, institution or rivalry and clarify why the event continued to matter after the immediate celebration had ended.

The performance was the thirteenth perfect game in major-league history at the time. Nicaragua later designated July 28 as National Sportsman Day, and its national stadium carried Martínez’s name for years. The game became a point of pride extending far beyond Montreal. Seen from today, the milestone remains compelling because it joins a measurable result with the uncertainty of live competition. Nothing about the outcome was guaranteed beforehand. That combination of preparation, opportunity and execution transformed the date from another entry on the schedule into lasting sports history. It also reveals how records and championships depend on teammates, opponents, officials, venues and rules that shape the opportunity. Preserving those surrounding details helps explain both the achievement itself and the reason later generations still discuss it. The date therefore offers a useful window into how sporting excellence is created, witnessed and remembered.