Giants prospect Domenic Mazza of Concord throws perfect game

Six-plus years ago, Domenic Mazza landed in Sporting Green headlines for his preternaturally powerful golf swing.

“Right off the bat, I had some negative thoughts going through my head,” Mazza said of the eighth-inning line drive.

[...] when the 27th and final batter lifted a harmless flyball to shallow center field, he had completed the first nine-inning perfect game in South Atlantic League history, a 9-0 win.

Mazza received about 80 congratulatory texts, plus a phone call from Giants general manager Bobby Evans.

“When (Fabian) made that diving catch,” Steve Mazza said, I said to myself, ‘Something special is happening here.’

Mazza relinquished a home run to 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, now a New York Mets minor-leaguer.

Tebow’s homer, naturally, commanded national attention — to the point where Mazza found himself doing numerous interviews, including an appearance on Dan Patrick’s radio show.

Tuesday night’s perfect game offered compelling evidence that Mazza made the right decision in spurning golf for baseball.

Mazza turned down the $70,000 prize he earned in the Long Drive Championship, to retain his amateur status so he could play baseball in college.

Mazza rarely plays golf during baseball season, but he and his dad returned to Diablo Creek several times over the fall and winter.