Twenty-seven years after David Cone’s perfect game, former New York Yankees batboy Luis “Squeegee” Castillo shares the untold story of how an improvised rain-delay warmup became part of one of the most iconic moments in Yankees history.
By Anna Samanamu | Latino Sports
Editor’s Note: This feature is based on an exclusive interview conducted by Latino Sports with former New York Yankees batboy Luis “Squeegee” Castillo. As the 27th anniversary of David Cone’s perfect game is commemorated, Castillo, a proud Puerto Rican, reflects on his firsthand memories of July 18, 1999, offering a rare behind-the-scenes account of the rain delay, the impromptu warmup with Cone, and the unforgettable moments that helped shape one of the most iconic games in Yankees history.
BRONX, NY — The last thing David Cone expected during a 33-minute rain delay on July 18, 1999, was that his bullpen catcher would be a teenage Yankees batboy.
But with time running out and no opportunity to complete his normal warmup in the bullpen, Cone turned to someone he trusted—Luis Castillo, the young clubhouse favorite affectionately known around Yankee Stadium as “Squeegee.”
Together, the two improvised. They played catch in the narrow service corridors beneath Yankee Stadium before finishing their warmup outside the dugout, simply trying to keep Cone’s arm loose before play resumed.
As much as David Cone’s life changed on July 18, 1999 at Yankee Stadium, Luis Castillo’s did as well, as the Yankees batboy played a role in the right-hander’s perfect game – Image Credit: Luis Castillo
Twenty-seven outs later, David Cone had pitched one of the greatest games in baseball history. Twenty-seven years later, Castillo enjoys sharing the story behind the story.
On that Sunday—July 18, 1999—fans packed Yankee Stadium expecting to celebrate Yogi Berra Day, commemorating the Hall of Famer’s long-awaited return to the Bronx after reconciling with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.
The afternoon already carried enormous historical significance, with Berra and Don Larsen reuniting to recreate the ceremonial first pitch honoring Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series.
By day’s end, another chapter of baseball history had been written. Cone retired all 27 Montreal Expos hitters he faced, throwing the 16th perfect game in Major League Baseball history and only the third in Yankees history. His emotional collapse to his knees after Scott Brosius secured the final out remains one of the franchise’s most enduring images. For most fans, that’s where the story begins and ends.
For Castillo, however, the memories start long before the first pitch.
A Day That Already Felt Different
“What I remember most vividly was how excited everyone was because Yogi Berra was returning to Yankee Stadium after so many years,” Castillo recalled. “The Boss and Yogi had buried the hatchet.”
Walking onto the field before the game, Castillo immediately noticed the two number eights painted behind home plate in Berra’s honor.
“It was hot and muggy,” he remembered. “We all got to meet Yogi and Don Larsen in the clubhouse and shake their hands. From the beginning, it felt like a movie.”
Closeup of Don Larsen (L) with Yankees David Cone (R) victorious after Cone pitched a perfect game vs. the Expos on 7/18/1999 – Image Credit: Chuck Solomon/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
The atmosphere throughout Yankee Stadium was electric. Players, coaches, clubhouse attendants and front-office staff all understood they were witnessing something special before the game had even begun.
Then came the rain. A sudden downpour delayed the game for approximately 33 minutes, sending players and staff scrambling back inside the clubhouse.
“I remember sitting at my batboy locker wondering, like everyone else, when play would resume.”
Then the clubhouse doors swung open.
Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman and longtime clubhouse manager Sonny Hight entered with an announcement. “They told us to hurry up because we’d be resuming play in fifteen minutes.”
Like Luis Castillo and many other Yankees in the dugout, clubhouse and ballpark on Sunday, July 18, 1999, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman played a role in David Cone’s perfect game – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
For Cone, the timing created a problem. There wasn’t enough time to complete his usual bullpen routine.
Instead, he looked at Castillo.
“Hey, let’s warm up outside.”
Castillo instantly realized the responsibility Cone had just placed in his hands. “My heart started racing because I had a big responsibility—to warm up the starting pitcher.”
An Unconventional Warmup
The two headed beneath Yankee Stadium into the hidden service corridors known simply as the bowels of the stadium.
“It was all David Cone’s idea,” Castillo said with a laugh. “People don’t realize what the bowels of Yankee Stadium looked like. There were dusty pipes hanging low from the ceiling, cable wires, metal racks and narrow hallways with only a thin strip of turf covering the concrete.”
There wasn’t nearly enough room to throw properly. But there wasn’t enough time to do anything else. “So Cone started skipping throws off the ceiling while I was ducking and weaving trying to catch them.”
Castillo wasn’t wearing any protective equipment. “He had that nasty slider working that day, and I had no catching gear.” Looking back nearly three decades later, both men laugh about the memory. “We knew it probably wasn’t the smartest idea.”
Realizing the cramped hallway wasn’t ideal, Cone decided to finish warming up in front of the Yankees dugout. There, everything settled down.
“We threw from farther apart, and every throw was perfect,” Castillo said. “Every toss hit me right in the glove.” Cone finished with one final throw before giving Castillo a thumbs-up. “That was his way of saying, ‘My arm is loose. I’m ready.'”
Looking back, Castillo believes the objective was simple.
“David’s mindset was just trying to get the blood flowing and keep his arm loose after sitting through a long rain delay.” Neither of them could have imagined that the impromptu warmup they had just completed would become one of the quiet, unseen moments preceding baseball immortality.
Locked In
Cone was known throughout baseball for his fierce competitiveness. Every time he took the mound, he expected excellence from himself. But even with his trademark focus, July 18 presented plenty of distractions.
“It was Yogi Berra Day,” Castillo said. “There was the ceremonial first pitch with Yogi and Don Larsen recreating the perfect game from 1956. Everybody was excited. We were all spectators that day because we were so happy to see Yogi back home.”
The celebration created an atmosphere unlike any regular-season game. Still, as the innings passed, Castillo noticed a shift. “David was always locked in every time he pitched,” he said. “But after the sixth inning, you could tell something changed.”
Every pitch seemed to carry more meaning. “You could tell by his body language that he knew what was happening.” Like everyone else inside Yankee Stadium, Castillo began to realize that history might be unfolding before their eyes.
“Destiny was knocking on his doorstep,” he said. “All he had to do was finish the job.”
Cone did exactly that.
Goosebumps
For Castillo, belief truly set in after one defensive play. Chuck Knoblauch ranged deep to his right, made a spectacular backhanded stop, and fired a strike across the diamond to Tino Martinez for the out.
“That play gave me goosebumps,” Castillo said. “It felt like Yankee Stadium wanted to collapse.” Cone acknowledged Knoblauch with nothing more than a subtle nod. “That fired up the whole stadium.”
Nearly three decades later, Castillo still becomes emotional talking about that moment. “I still get goosebumps thinking about it.” As each out was recorded, the anticipation inside Yankee Stadium grew louder. “I saw people from every background high-fiving each other and cheering for David Cone.”
For Castillo, the experience became almost surreal. “I couldn’t even feel my feet touching the ground. My whole body kept getting goosebumps after every out.”
Then came a realization that has never left him. “The Baseball Gods were with us that day.”
The Final Out
Castillo spent the ninth inning stationed down the right-field line, sitting on a small metal stool while keeping watch for foul balls. As Cone recorded the final outs, the tension became almost unbearable.
“I remember looking up toward the sky.”
Then came the final batter. Scott Brosius settled underneath a towering pop-up.
“When that ball landed in his glove,” Castillo recalled, “the roar behind me gave me goosebumps that I still get to this day.” Fans erupted throughout Yankee Stadium. Everywhere Castillo looked, people were embracing one another.
“I remember hearing people screaming, ‘Perfect Game! Perfect Game!'” His attention quickly shifted back to Cone. “I watched David drop to his knees and put his glove over his head.”
His emotions were impossible to miss. “His body language said it all. It was like watching a little kid’s dream come true.”
Castillo smiled as he remembered Cone’s expression. “He was so red in the face and so happy.” Watching his teammates surround him remains one of Castillo’s favorite memories. “They carried him off the field like the king he truly is.”
‘You’re Part of This’
While the celebration unfolded on the field, Castillo hurried through the dugout tunnel and raced toward the clubhouse. He wanted to congratulate someone who had been his childhood idol.
“I ran into the clubhouse to hug my brother,” Castillo said affectionately, referring to Cone. “Everyone was genuinely happy for David. You could feel how much everyone loved him.”
Then came a quiet moment away from the cameras. Cone found Castillo. The two shared a private conversation. “He thanked me for warming him up.” Then Cone said something Castillo has carried with him ever since.
“You’re a part of this… and we’ll forever be connected.”
Castillo still becomes emotional recalling those words. “I got choked up with tears of joy because my childhood idol spoke those words to me.” Cone wrapped him in a hug. “The hug he gave me… I felt the love and appreciation from him.”
Castillo laughed before adding one final detail. “He almost took the air out of my lungs.”
For a young batboy who had grown up admiring David Cone, the embrace meant far more than simply celebrating a perfect game. “It was one of the greatest moments of my life.”
Away from the cameras and outside the history books, the pitcher and the batboy shared a moment of gratitude that neither has forgotten.
Twenty-Seven Years Later
For most baseball fans, July 18, 1999, will always be remembered as the day David Cone threw a perfect game. For Luis Castillo, it is remembered as something even more personal. “Honestly,” he said, “every July 18 feels like it happened 27 minutes ago.”
Nearly three decades have passed, yet the memories remain as vivid as ever. “I still see a young Cone and a young Squeegee playing catch during that rain delay.”
Looking back, Castillo believes their impromptu warmup became about more than simply getting Cone physically ready to pitch. “It was like I became David Cone’s sidekick in helping calm his nerves.” Cone had been all business before the game began.
“He was very serious and focused before the game,” Castillo recalled. “But during our warmup beneath Yankee Stadium and again out in front of the dugout, I saw him smiling and laughing after almost every throw.”
Those brief moments of laughter eased the tension. For Castillo, they also became one of the proudest memories of his life. “We always played catch during batting practice, but that day was different. I finally got to play catch with my childhood idol during a Major League game.”
A rain delay on July 18th 1999 at the old Yankee Stadium across the street from the new ballpark helped shape a day that will never be forgotten in Yankees and MLB history – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
Then, with his trademark sense of humor, Castillo admitted something he has never forgotten. “I’m not going to lie—I was more nervous than anyone else. When David chose me to warm him up, all eyes were suddenly on me.”
He paused before laughing. “I almost pooped myself.” Even today, both men laugh about that unforgettable rain delay. But what has remained with Castillo most isn’t the pressure. It’s what happened afterward.
“When I went to congratulate David after the game, he hugged me and thanked me for helping him.” Castillo still struggles to put that feeling into words.
“That was a father-and-son kind of moment for me. I’ll never forget it.”
More Than One Man Made History
David Cone deserved every bit of recognition he received for one of the greatest pitching performances baseball has ever witnessed. His perfect game was the result of years of preparation, talent, discipline, and determination. Nothing can diminish that achievement.
Yet baseball has always been more than the players whose names appear in the box score. It is also the coaches, clubhouse attendants, equipment managers, trainers, batboys, and countless others whose dedication often goes unnoticed but whose work helps make extraordinary moments possible.
A flashback photo of YES Network’s Jack Curry, Luis Castillo and David Cone with Castillo’s two of four sons – Image Credit: Luis Castillo
Luis “Squeegee” Castillo never threw a pitch that afternoon. He never stepped into the batter’s box. His name doesn’t appear in the official scorebook.
But when David Cone needed someone he trusted during an unexpected rain delay, he called upon a young Yankees batboy. Castillo answered.
For generations, Latinos have helped shape the game of baseball—not only on the field, but behind the scenes in clubhouses, dugouts, front offices, and communities across the country.
Their contributions are woven into the fabric of the sport, even when their names are not found in the headlines.
To learn more about Luis “Squeegee” Castillo, who was a Yankees bat boy from 1999-2005, check out his tell-all memoir “Clubhouse Confidential” – Image Credit: St. Martin’s Press
Castillo’s story serves as a reminder that history isn’t always made under the bright lights. Sometimes, it begins beneath a stadium. Sometimes, it begins with a simple game of catch.
On July 18, 1999, David Cone threw a perfect game. Twenty-seven years later, thanks to Luis “Squeegee” Castillo’s memories, another chapter of that remarkable afternoon has finally been told. And because of one heartfelt sentence spoken inside the Yankees clubhouse.
“You’re a part of this… and we’ll forever be connected.”
Luis Castillo’s place in one of baseball’s most iconic days will never be forgotten.
About the Author
Anna Samanamu is a contributor to Latino Sports, a multimedia creative, and a graduate student pursuing her Master of Social Work at Montclair State University. Her storytelling focuses on preserving sports history through the voices of the people behind the moments, highlighting the relationships, resilience, and human experiences that shape the game beyond the box score.
Follow us on Social Media for updates and exclusive content
Instagram: @latinosportsoficial
Facebook: Latino Sports
Twitter: @latinosports
