July 28, 1994: Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers throws a perfect game in a 4-0 win over the California Angels. It is the 14th perfect game in MLB history.

After legendary Texas pitcher Nolan Ryan retired in 1993, it seemed likely that the Rangers' perfect game drought since their inception in 1961 would only continue.

However, with Rogers on the mound in a mid-season A.L West matchup against the Angels, Jose Canseco hit two early home runs, and Ivan Rodriguez had another, giving the Rangers a 4-0 lead after three innings.

The head-start was more than enough for Rogers. The 29-year-old ace steamrolled his way through an Angels lineup featuring stars like Jim Edmonds and Bo Jackson, keeping the team's lead intact while inching his way toward history.

By the top of the ninth inning, Rogers had already thrown 90 pitches, struck out Edmonds twice, fanned Jackson three times, and just needed to retire the Angels' bottom three batters to seal the perfect game.

It seems that every perfect game needs to have that one great defensive play to save it, and Rogers got his at an opportune time. The Angels' first batter of the ninth inning, Rex Hudler, hit a line drive to right-center field, but the Rangers' Rusty Greer came up with a huge diving catch to keep Rogers' bid for perfection alive.

Here's the final out:


Rogers finished with 98 pitches and eight strikeouts.

Rogers finished his career in 2008 after 20 seasons. He made four All-Star Games and was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame in 2011.