Jared Jones’ perfect game: Why another MLB pitcher was pulled during a chance in history
Twice in a four-day period, a pitcher in Major League Baseball threw a complete game.
First up was Eury Pérez of the Marlins in his debut against the Athletics. On Sunday, manager Clayton McCullough pulled Pérez after seven complete innings and 92 pitches. Soon after, Lake Bachar’s reliever walked a batter to end the (combined) perfecto bid and then allowed a single to end the no-hitter threat.
Then came Pirates right fielder Jared Jones on Wednesday night. He threw six perfect innings against the Braves before Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly gave Jones the Dugout Handshake of Removal before the seventh inning of a scoreless game. Pittsburgh’s shot at the first combined complete game in MLB history ended when Jones’ replacement, Mason Montgomery, allowed one out in the seventh. Jones, at the time of his ejection, was on 77 pitches, and Atlanta won 3-0.
One might be tempted to ask: What gives?
First, this is not new. MLB’s decision makers are less concerned with good games and hitters, as they realize that the regular season is a six-month slog with deep considerations that reach beyond a single game or performance — even possibly history. They also know that even a single high-pitch trip can have a negative price on the road, especially in today’s high-speed era.
It’s been a while since that happened.
Eury Pérez pitched a complete game after seven innings vs. Athletics, the Marlins bullpen was quickly defeated
Matt Snyder
MLB teams prioritize arm health over historical output
If it’s a veteran arm with a proven track record of health and fitness, the math is different. The circumstances were very different when, early Wednesday, Blue Jays manager John Schneider allowed Dylan Cease to put up a career-high number in pursuit of a no-hitter, losing him in the ninth.
In the case of Pérez and Jones, however, two sets of numbers are worth considering:
The first set includes the current ages of Pérez and Jones, and the second set includes the fastball velocities of Pérez and Jones. Let’s add two days for your review:
- April 8, 2024;
- May 21, 2025.
Those are the days of Pérez and Jones’ respective Tommy John surgeries — or internal brace procedures in Jones’ case. Yes, every young pitcher has a history of arm problems. Those three things — youth, speed, and previous major arm surgery — add up to mean that the pitcher in question will be treated with caution, especially if it’s not, say, a playoff game or something similar.
In Pérez’s case, Sunday’s start was the third since he has been out for nearly a month with a hip replacement. Going into the game, the Marlins had a pitch limit in mind and McCullough stuck to it.
“Going into this game, 90 plus strikeouts was the number of pitches I felt comfortable coming back in time for the IL and we wanted to play beyond the season,” McCullough, the Marlins’ second-year manager, told the media. “Eury will be an important part of that. Yes, he really had it today and I totally get it. There was a part of my heart that pulled his chance to continue, but I have to think about Eury, one, and our organization, our team, and what is going forward and giving us a chance to win games. I made a calculated decision where he was with his pitch.”
As for Jones, the 2026 season marked his return to the mound after missing 2025 due to the aforementioned elbow surgery. He had strong fielding numbers throughout the season as he returned to the field. Wednesday’s outing was Jones’ eighth of the season and his season high is just 81 pitches.
Perhaps it is tiring for the fans to see the historic quests cut short, not because they end up on the field but because of the management’s wisdom. With Pérez and Jones and any other young pitcher flirting with perfection like this, however, a cautious approach is one that is embraced by every organization in MLB right now.
It’s understandable, and it doesn’t go away.
