Marlins pull Pérez after 7 perfect innings vs. A's...
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- Clayton McCullough removed Eury Pérez after 7 perfect innings and 92 pitches, citing a pre-planned pitch count and Pérez's importance down the stretch; Pérez was making just his third start since returning from the injured list.
- The Miami bullpen nearly squandered an eight-run lead in the eighth inning alone, giving up five runs highlighted by a Jonah Heim grand slam; the Marlins held on 9-8 to complete a three-game sweep.
- Pérez, 23, became the youngest pitcher with a perfect-game bid through seven innings since Pedro Martínez (22) in 1994, and the first pitcher pulled after 7-plus perfect innings since Clayton Kershaw on April 13, 2022.
- Heriberto Hernandez homered twice while Leo Jimenez and All-Star shortstop Otto Lopez also went deep for the Marlins, who improved to a surprising 49-42 with their ninth win in 12 games.
- Pérez struck out eight, induced seven groundouts and six flyouts, and sat at 98-99 mph with his fastball; he improved to 5-6 with a 3.84 ERA in 15 starts this season.
- The Marlins have never thrown a perfect game in their 33-year franchise history; there have been 24 perfect games in MLB history, most recently Domingo Germán's for the Yankees against the A's on July 28, 2023.
- Pérez is returning from a bizarre right gracilis strain suffered while doing lateral lunges on the dugout bench in late May; he also missed all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace.
Why it matters: McCullough's pull reflected Miami's postseason calculus — at 49-42, the Marlins are unexpectedly in the hunt, and Pérez is central to that push after returning from a freak gracilis strain and prior Tommy John surgery. The near-collapse exposed the fragility of the math: an eight-run lead shrank to one run in a single inning, putting Pérez's 92-pitch caution in direct tension with a bullpen that couldn't hold the rope.
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