"I'm still pumped," said Cain, who was back on the field playing catch with fellow starter Madison Bumgarner by 10:15 a.m. Thursday after a workout. "I haven't really had a ton of time to sit down and look over stuff, see how it all happened. I don't know that it has hit me yet, maybe when I can sit down and watch the highlights, go over the game."
Add in a pair of improbable catches by Melky Cabrera and Gregor Blanco to preserve the bid, and Cain wound up with the first perfect game in the franchise's storied 130-year history and its 14th no-hitter.
He threw 125 pitches - most ever in a perfect game - and 86 of those for strikes. Seven of his strikeouts were called. He didn't shake off catcher Buster Posey even once. They were in sync on this memorable evening, all right.
"It's something I always wanted to do since I was little, but it's kind of a blur when it actually happens," Cain said.
Cain followed up Bumgarner's 12-strikeout night Tuesday, and they became the first Giants pitchers to record consecutive double-digit strikeout games since Vida Blue and John Montefusco in May 1978.
"Things like this bring a team together even more," San Francisco skipper Bruce Bochy said. "That's the first one I've seen. It was an incredible night. Matt was going about it like a normal game. That last at-bat he sprinted to first base and I yelled, 'Hey, take it easy.' But he always plays the game hard."
Team president and CEO Larry Baer and the rest of the brass must have been pinching themselves in delight that they decided to reward the two-time All-Star with a $127.5 million, 6-year contract days before the season began - the richest for a righthander.
Cain, 27, tried to keep it all in perspective the day after. "The crazy thing is that in 4 more days I've got to pitch again," he said. "Enjoy it, love that it happened. But I have to start thinking about pitching against the Angels on Monday. I'm trying to stay on a routine."
But at least one teammate got a little too excited: First baseman Aubrey Huff had to have an MRI on his right knee, which he bruised while jumping over the railing after the perfect game.
