WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Eury Pérez was pulled after pitching seven perfect innings Sunday against the Athletics, and the Miami Marlins quickly lost their bid for a combined no-hitter.
Marlins reliever Lake Bachar replaced Pérez to start the eighth and issued a leadoff walk to Lawrence Butler as fans booed. That was the first baserunner for the A’s, and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer then dunked a pop-fly single into shallow right field for their first hit.
Carlos Cortes followed with an RBI double, Max Muncy walked and Jonah Heim launched a grand slam that shaved Miami’s lead to 8-5.
Brian Serven singled to chase Bachar, who didn’t retire any of the six batters he faced.
The 23-year-old Pérez, who has never tossed a complete game in his major league career, set down all 21 hitters he faced with eight strikeouts. He threw 92 pitches, 56 for strikes, before Miami manager Clayton McCullough went to his bullpen.
It was the most pitches Pérez has thrown in three starts since returning from the injured list June 24. He had been sustained while he was stretching in the dugout.
Pérez was initially expected to miss about two months with a high-grade strain of his right gracilis — a long, thin muscle on the inside of the thigh. He after throwing four shutout innings because his right hamstring spasmed while he was doing lateral lunges on the bench to limber up for the fifth. He was in such pain he needed assistance from a teammate to descend the steps into the clubhouse.
The 6-foot-8 Pérez induced six flyouts Sunday, only one of which made it to the warning track. He entered 4-6 with a 4.21 ERA in 14 starts this year and was facing the A’s for the first time since his rookie season of 2023.
The last big league pitcher to throw a perfect game was Domingo Germán for the New York Yankees against the A’s on July 28, 2023.
There has never been a combined perfect game in major league history.
The Marlins have not had a perfect game in the 33-year history of the franchise.
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