20 years later, Cone reflects on perfection

Now that the 20th anniversary of David Cone’s perfect game against the Expos on July 18, 1999, has passed, there wasn’t much left for the retired right-hander to reveal about his accomplishment — even as the Yankees honored him Thursday with David Cone Bobblehead Night.

At an over-the-top charity party on June 19 at Manhattan’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel featured Paul Simon and Fat Joe, Joe Torre and several of Cone’s teammates from the 1999 season began a month of celebrating what has become a staple on the video screen at Yankee Stadium.

Cone wrapped it up, however, in his customary cerebral fashion before Thursday’s doubleheader sweep of the Rays, while sitting in the hallway outside the YES television booth.

“It’s been great and the best part of is that I kind of feel we are sealed in history, the three of us, because it was the old Stadium’’ Cone said of David Wells and Don Larsen, the other two Yankees who threw perfect games. “Even though this is Yankee Stadium still, we kind of feel we are part of a unique club.’’

That club includes the late Yogi Berra, who caught Larsen’s gem in the 1956 World Series against the Dodgers, Jorge Posada, who helped navigate Wells threw his perfecto against the Twins in 1998 and Joe Girardi, Cone’s catcher against the Expos.

After getting a pat on the back from Aaron Boone following the 5-1 win over the Rays in the second game of Thursday night’s doubleheader, in which he allowed one run and two hits in 3 ¹/3 innings of relief Nestor Cortes, Jr. was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The Yankees are 19-3-4 in their past 26 series, since April 16, and 6-0-2 in the past eight. They are 13-0-1 in their past 14 home series. … The Yankees have gone 34-11 against the AL East this season. … The Yankees also ave used 91 different lineups in 94 games.

When Didi Gregorius scored the Yankees’ initial run in their 6-2 win over the Rays in the first game of the doubleheader, it was the 176th straight game in which they had scored a run.

That is the fourth longest stretch since 1900. The Reds are third at 208 (April 3, 2000 to May 23, 2001). The Yankees hold the record at 308 (Aug. 3, 1931 to Aug. 2, 1933).

Zack Britton struck out all three of the Rays he faced in the eighth inning of the first game to continue a hot streak of whiffs.

Britton has struck out seven of the past nine batters he has faced after striking out just one of 50 in his previous 13 appearances.

Dellin Betances, on the injured list with shoulder and lat issues, and Luis Severino, out with a lat injury, threw in the outfield Thursday. Neither has pitched yet this season.