The Miami Marlins completed a series sweep of the Athletics on Sunday, but the story of the day belonged to young ace Eury Pérez, who delivered one of the most dominant pitching performances of the 2026 MLB season.
Pérez was nearly untouchable, retiring all 21 batters he faced across seven perfect innings while striking out eight. The 23-year-old right hander needed just 83 pitches to carve through the Athletics lineup, keeping a perfect game intact before the Marlins coaching staff made the decision to remove him from the contest.
With Miami holding a comfortable lead and Pérez continuing his comeback after injury setbacks earlier in the season, the organization opted for caution rather than allowing him to chase history.
The Marlins offense gave their starter plenty of support, building an early advantage behind a powerful display at the plate. Heriberto Hernández starred with two home runs, while Otto Lopez and Liam Hicks also contributed key hits as Miami raced out to an 8-0 lead.
After Pérez exited, the Athletics finally found life in the eighth inning, breaking up the perfect game bid against the Miami bullpen and launching a late comeback. Jonah Heim delivered a grand slam as Oakland clawed its way back into the contest, but the Marlins held firm.
Miami added an insurance run in the ninth inning before closer Pete Fairbanks recorded the final outs to secure a dramatic 9-8 victory.
Although Pérez won’t officially have a perfect game or no-hitter attached to his name, his performance will be remembered as one of the finest outings of his young career. The Dominican star showed the electric arsenal that has made him one of baseball’s most exciting pitchers, overwhelming Athletics hitters with a combination of power, command, and poise.
For a Marlins team pushing to stay in the National League playoff race, Pérez’s return to top form could prove to be one of the biggest developments of the second half of the season.
If you were the manager are you taking him out?
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