LEO ESTRELLA needed just 64 pitches for perfection on Saturday night, 6-18-2000, at VICTORY FIELD in Indianapolis and in the process, etched his name into the INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE record book. Making his Triple-A debut, ESTRELLA pitched seven perfect innings in leading his SYRACUSE SKYCHIEFS to a 5-0 win over the INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS in the first game of a doubleheader, with the INDIANS winning the second game by a 5-4 decision. "I was just trying to throw down the middle of the plate and let my defense play," he said. "I didn't do anything different than I normally do." ESTRELLA had only been called up to SYRACUSE two days before from the Double-A TENNESSEE SMOKIES. He found himself behind in a 3-0 count only twice, and was behind in the count to only four batters all night. Luckily for him, catcher BRIAN LOYD was called up with him. "Having BRIAN there makes a difference in my confidence," he stated. "He calls good pitches and I just follow his lead."

The best chance that INDIANAPOLIS had at a hit came in the bottom of the third inning when center fielder CHAD GREEN hit a hard liner to third that RYAN FREEL made a leaping catch on. Besides that near-hit, he was command throughout, striking out four and had eight ground outs behind him. Only four times did he throw three balls to any batter. Then he ended the game by striking out former 1999 SKYCHIEFS players NORBERT MARTIN and CHRIS JONES, getting JONES, a UTICA native who went to LIVERPOOL HIGH SCHOOL, afer throwing him three consecutive balls to start the at-bat. "I just tried to keep the ball down," ESTRELLA said. "I didn't think of the perfect game until the last batter, and then when I got behind 3-0, I knew I had to come in with some good fastballs."