Marlins denying Eury Perez’s perfect game reignites one of MLB’s fiercest debates

Bullet point summary by AI

• A young pitcher dominated a high-powered offense through seven perfect innings but was removed before history could unfold.
• The decision drew widespread criticism as the next pitcher immediately ended the bid with a walk and allowed four runs before recording an out.
• The debate centers on whether protecting a talented arm should outweigh the chance to witness one of baseball’s rarest feats.

When you think of pitchers with perfect game-type stuff, Eury Perez is near or at the top of that list, and Sunday’s game against the Athletics is a prime example of why. Perez was in a groove from the start, sitting at 98 mph with his fastball, generating 21 whiffs on 92 pitches and not allowing a potent Athletics offense to manage a single baserunner through seven innings in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the Majors. He was perfect — literally. Yet, rather than let Perez chase history, he wasn’t allowed to come back out for the eighth. This was a decision that even Athletics fans were mocking.

In true karmic fashion, Miami Marlins reliever Lake Bachar immediately robbed fans of a chance at history by issuing a leadoff walk in the eighth inning, ending the perfect game attempt. The next batter singled, ending the no-hit bid, and then a double ended the shutout. A few batters later, a grand slam slashed what was an 8-0 lead at the start of the inning to 8-5 with nobody out.

In the abstract, I get why the Marlins pulled Perez. Heck, every MLB fan knows why Perez was pulled. Was this really the right move, though? This is a debate that’ll be had until the end of time, and it’s hard to think that Miami will wind up on the right side of it.

Marlins were justified pulling Eury Perez, but that doesn’t mean they’re above mockery

Again, pulling Perez made all the sense in the world. The righty had thrown 92 pitches through seven innings in just his third start back off the Injured List. He threw 86 pitches in his last outing and hadn’t thrown more than that mark in an appearance since May 17 — nearly two full months ago. Perez also is a little over two years removed from Tommy John surgery, and is undoubtedly the best young pitcher the Marlins have at just 23 years of age. It makes all the sense in the world to protect him, given his talent and his lengthy injury history.

This feels a bit overprotective, though. First of all, Perez’s most recent IL stint was due to a leg issue, not his arm. Second, and perhaps more importantly, Perez had thrown 86 pitches in his last outing, which was a substantial uptick from the 68 pitches he threw in his first start back. If the Marlins let him raise his pitch count by 18 pitches last time, why wouldn’t they let him go beyond just six extra pitches on Sunday? I get that he had seven up-downs compared to just five in his last start, and I get that he’s never gone beyond seven innings in his big-league career, but c’mon — is this not an extenuating circumstance?

This goes to show that the Marlins truly do not care one bit about history, and that’s a shame.

Marlins should have let Eury Perez go for a chance at history

It’s one thing to not let Perez throw 120+ pitches. I would’ve understood, and possibly even supported pulling him even amid a perfect game bid. As a Mets fan, I watched Johan Santana’s career effectively end after he threw 134 pitches while getting his no-hitter. But how do you stop a perfect game attempt at just 92 pitches, especially when Perez had thrown 86 his last time out?

Something also has to be said about this being a perfect game bid. This wasn’t an ordinary no-hitter; Perez was attempting to do something that has been done only 24 times in the league’s history. It hasn’t been seen since 2023, the year of Perez debuted in the Majors. It is the most impressive in-game feat a pitcher can accomplish, and one of the sport’s most exclusive fraternities. How do you not let him even try to be No. 25?

There’s a good chance that Perez will never get this opportunity again. Even the best pitchers in the history of this game haven’t thrown a perfect game. Some haven’t even come close. He has lights-out stuff, but it takes all the stars aligning for any pitcher to be perfect through even seven innings of a big-league start.

The Marlins could’ve had a quick hook with a reliever ready. They could’ve had a different pitch count in mind for Perez. Why not let him see if he can get six outs before reaching 105, or 110? He had been efficient all day. There’s no reason not to loosen up a bit in an 8-0 game with this kind of history at stake.

The fact that this is even debated is a shame. MLB is made for moments like this; nobody cares about a random 8-0 Marlins win in July, but everyone cares about a perfect game. I understand and support managers protecting their players. Circumstances change when history is at stake, though, or at least they should. Not even letting Perez try to achieve something few pitchers can say they’ve even come close to is disgraceful.

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