25 years on, the best Interleague moments

Can you believe it? Today marks the 25th anniversary of the start of Interleague Play in MLB. There have been some incredible moments over the past quarter century in games that involved clubs from both the National League and the American League. There have been milestones reached, rare feats achieved and some moments of levity we'll never forget. Here's a look at some of the great moments in Interleague history as we celebrate 25 years since it all began:

The first Interleague game: June 12, 1997

It felt weird, until it didn't -- the Giants and Rangers met for the first Interleague game in MLB history at the Ballpark in Arlington, with San Francisco prevailing, 4-3. For your trivia knowledge bank: The first Interleague pitch was thrown by Texas starter Darren Oliver, the first hit came off the bat of Darryl Hamilton, the first strikeout was recorded by Mark Gardner (a strikeout of Ivan Rodriguez in the bottom of the first inning), the first RBI came on a Billy Ripken single, Stan Javier hit the first Interleague home run and Damon Buford stole the first base in Interleague play.

David Cone throws a perfect game: July 18, 1999

On a sweltering Sunday afternoon in the Bronx -- and on Yogi Berra Day, no less -- Cone threw the 16th perfect game in AL/NL history, blanking the Expos in a 6-0 victory at Yankee Stadium. Don Larsen, the only pitcher to throw a perfect game in the postseason (Game 5 of the 1956 World Series) was in attendance as Cone struck out 10 and needed only 88 pitches to achieve perfection.

Robin Ventura impersonates Mike Piazza at Yankee Stadium: June 11, 2000

This is one of the great moments in Interleague history for its sheer hilarity. During a rain delay at Yankee Stadium, Mets third baseman Robin Ventura did his best -- and it was really good -- impression of Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza, then Ventura's teammate. From the handlebar mustache to the batting stance to the baserunning, it was truly unforgettable.

Six Astros pitchers combine to no-hit the Yankees: June 11, 2003

When Houston starter Roy Oswalt had to leave the game after the first inning due to injury, the last thing the Astros had on their minds was a no-hitter. But that's exactly what happened, as five relievers -- Peter Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner -- combined to complete the ninth combined no-no in AL/NL history. The eighth one, incidentally, came on June 12, 1997, the day of the first Interleague game in MLB history.

Roger Clemens records his 4,000th strikeout and 300th win: June 13, 2003

Clemens achieved two incredible milestones on the same day when he took the mound against the Cardinals at Yankee Stadium just two days after New York was no-hit by Houston. In the second inning, Clemens struck out Edgar Renteria to notch the 4,000th strikeout of his career. He went 6 2/3 innings overall, giving up two runs on six hits while walking two and striking out 10 to pick up the 300th victory of his career, making him the 21st pitcher in AL/NL history to join that exclusive club.

Koo's Shea Stadium coup: May 21, 2005

Tim McCarver proved to be prescient at times behind the mic for play-by-play or color commentary during his post-playing career -- think of when he noted that the infield was in and the legendary Mariano Rivera's cutter produced a lot of broken-bat floaters into the shallow outfield just before the D-backs' Luis Gonzalez won the 2001 World Series with a broken-bat single. But this time, it was quite the opposite. Dae-Sung Koo, the Korean pitcher who made 33 relief appearances for the Mets in 2005, his only season in the Majors, came to the plate for the second and final time in his big league career during this game against the Yankees at Shea Stadium.

Just as McCarver said "I'm going to go out on a limb and say that, thus far in the season, this is the biggest give-up at-bat ..." Koo shockingly belted a double to center field. Immediately, McCarver's broadcast partner, Joe Buck, cried out "Take your words back!" as Koo went in to second base. But that wasn't the end of Koo's heroics for the day -- on a Jose Reyes sacrifice bunt, nobody was covering home plate as catcher Jorge Posada fielded the ball and threw to first. Koo alertly broke for the plate and scored on a head-first dive. What an iconic moment in the storied Subway Series rivalry.

Justin Verlander arrives with no-hitter against Brewers: June 12, 2007

On the 10th anniversary of the first Interleague game, Verlander announced his presence as one of the game's best starting pitchers by no-hitting the Brewers at Comerica Park on 112 pitches. He struck out 12 and walked four in the first of three career no-no's -- the others came on May 7, 2011, for the Tigers against the Blue Jays in Toronto, and on Sept. 1, 2019, for the Astros against the Blue Jays in Toronto once again.

Griffey returns to Seattle: June 22, 2007

When the Reds visited the Mariners in Seattle for an Interleague series from June 22-24, 2007, it marked the first time that the greatest player in Mariners history returned to where his storied career began after being traded to the Reds seven years earlier. The Mariners held a touching ceremony for Griffey prior to the series opener on Friday night, and on Sunday, Griffey launched a pair of home runs for old times' sake, receiving standing ovations from the Safeco Field crowd. Though he didn't know it at the time, Griffey would play his final Major League game in a Mariners uniform three years later.

Edwin Jackson throws one of the strangest no-hitters in history: June 24, 2010

A no-hitter is a great feat to achieve, no matter how you get there. Even if it means eight walks and 149 pitches. That's what Jackson's line looked like on this night at Tropicana Field, when the right-hander tossed one of the weirdest no-no's you'll ever see. It was the second no-hitter in D-backs history, along with Randy Johnson's perfect game against the Braves in 2004. Two wildly different examples of a no-hitter -- one was perfection and the other was anything but. But the latter was still a no-hitter, something unfathomable after three innings, at which point Jackson had already thrown 70 pitches.

Max Scherzer ties single-game strikeout record: May 11, 2016

When Scherzer took the mound for the Nationals on this night against his former club, the Tigers, only three pitchers had ever struck out a record 20 batters in one game: Roger Clemens (twice), Kerry Wood and Randy Johnson. By the end of the game, that group would have a new member, as Scherzer overpowered Detroit's hitters in a 119-pitch, complete-game victory during which he gave up two runs on six hits and didn't walk a batter.

Mariners stage largest comeback win in franchise history: June 2, 2016

You just never know what you're going to see on any given day when it comes to baseball. On this day, the Mariners found themselves trailing, 12-2, in the sixth inning against the Padres at Petco Park. Then came the greatest comeback in franchise history -- Seattle scored five runs in the sixth and nine in the seventh to take a 16-12 lead, going on to win the game, 16-13. During their nine-run seventh inning, the Mariners delivered an incredible seven straight RBI singles with two outs, making Seattle the first club in 42 years to do that.

Mike Yastrzemski homers at Fenway in front of his grandfather: Sept. 17, 2019

How storybook can it get? Carl Yastrzemski is one of the most legendary players in the long and storied history of the Red Sox. So when his grandson, Mike, came to venerable Fenway Park with the Giants for a rare Interleague matchup between the two clubs, it was already a special occasion for the Yastrzemski family. Little did Carl, who was in attendance that night, know it when he arrived, but it would become far more special than he could have imagined. That's because in the fourth inning, Mike launched a solo homer against Nathan Eovaldi. It was the rookie's 20th home run of the season, his first at Fenway Park, and the 238th homer by a Yastrzemski at Fenway.