David Cone, the strikeout artist who endeared himself to New York Yankees fans for his gutsy clutch performances and for hurling a perfect game in 1999, returned to his current YES Network post as a Yankees analyst for the 2011 season. Upon his retirement from the game, Cone joined the YES Network team during its inaugural year in 2002. He later returned to YES for the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
The YES Network, the most-watched regional sports network in the country the past 10 years, is the exclusive television home of the 27-time World Champion New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Nets. YES, which has earned 266 Emmy Award nominations and 60 Emmy Awards since its March 2002 launch, also televises original biography, studio and magazine programs, in addition to college sports.
Cone compiled a 194-126 record, 3.46 ERA and 2,688 strikeouts in his 17-year major league career. He captured the American League Cy Young Award in 1994 and was a five-time All-Star (1988, 1992, 1994, 1997 and 1999). The Kansas City, Mo. native, known for coming up big in critical games, posted an 8-3 post-season record and played on five world championship teams: the 1992 Blue Jays and the 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 Yankees.
The flame-throwing right-hander was drafted by the hometown Kansas City Royals in the third round of the 1981 amateur draft and made his major league debut with the Royals in 1986. He played the next 5 ½ seasons with the Mets; in 1988, he ran up a 20-3 record, 2.22 ERA and 213 strikeouts, and on October 6, 1991, he struck out 19 Phillies in a game.
After short stints with the Blue Jays and the Royals (again), he joined the Yankees in 1995. Arguably his finest season in pinstripes was 1998, when he was 20-7 with a 3.55 ERA and 209 strikeouts. A year later, on July 18, 1999, he hurled a perfect game against the Montreal Expos, only the second inter-league perfect game in major league history. Fellow Yankee Don Larsen's World Series gem in 1956 was the first.
While with the Yankees from 1995-2000, Cone was 64-40 with a 3.91 ERA and 888 strikeouts. He pitched for Boston in 2001, sat out the 2002 season, and pitched briefly for the Mets in 2003 before retiring.
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