DAVID Wells entered MLB folklore when he threw just the second perfect game in New York Yankees history.
Now the two-time World Series champion is becoming just as well-known for helping wounded military personnel in retirement.
The former Yankees icon – who threw the 15th perfect game in MLB history in 1998 – earned over $55 million over his 21-year career.
And he has made it his mission to help out military veterans through the Pearfect 33 Foundation and other charitable efforts.
The foundation aims to“provide the resources to aid military veterans and their families, community enrichment, medical research, education and athletic programs.”
“Everyone watches something like, ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ when they were after Bin Laden,” Wells told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
“Well, those guys are heroes. Then I kept hearing about them going into the [Department of Veterans Affairs] and just being handed a pill or whatever.
“The more of those guys I met, it kind of pissed me off when they weren’t getting what they need.”
Wells has been credited with saving the lives of former Navy SEALs through his donations for groundbreaking brain-wave medical treatments.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation helps military personnel overcome PTSD and become active members of society.
One such veteran is Nick Norris, a former Navy SEAL who was deployed for a decade in combat zones across Iraq and Afghanistan.
“I was in my tree stand and my phone started buzzing,” Wells recalled.
“I looked down and it was Nick, so I answered it. He said, ‘Thank you.’ I said, ‘For what?’
“He said, ‘For saving my life. I’m doing the treatments.’
“I’m sitting in that tree stand crying. It was a pretty powerful moment.”
In 2018, Wells donated $100,000 to the program, which funded the treatment of 10 Navy SEALs.
“I wish there were 10,000 David Wellses out there,” Norris said.
Wells is now involved with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which aims to help homeless veterans get back on their feet.
“Over the years, I have been helping veterans get the medical resources they need and help them overcome their challenges,” Wells says in a campaign video.
“They have sacrificed so much for our country and it is our duty to take care of them when they come home.”