07/05/26 08:41:00
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07/05 20:40 CDT Prez pulled after 7 perfect innings against A's, and Marlins
nearly blow 8-run lead in 9-8 win
Prez pulled after 7 perfect innings against A's, and Marlins nearly blow 8-run
lead in 9-8 win
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) --- Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough was
well aware that Eury Prez was only six outs from pitching the first perfect
game in franchise history Sunday.
And still, McCullough pulled the plug.
Prez was removed after retiring all 21 batters he faced, a move that almost
blew up on the Marlins when they nearly squandered an eight-run lead in a 9-8
victory over the Athletics.
"I totally get it," McCullough said. "There was a part of my heartstrings
pulling at his opportunity to keep on going, but I have to think about Eury and
our organization, our team and what's best moving forward to give us a chance
to continue to win games."
Making his third start since returning from the injured list, Prez was lifted
after throwing 92 pitches over seven perfect innings.
"Going into this game, 90-plus was the pitch count but ... us looking to play
beyond the regular season, Eury's going to be an important part of that,"
McCullough said. "He had it really going today."
Heriberto Hernndez homered twice for the surprising Marlins (49-42), who have
won nine of 12 overall after completing a three-game sweep. Leo Jimnez and
All-Star shortstop Otto Lopez also went deep.
A crowd full of A's fans booed when McCullough replaced Prez with reliever
Lake Bachar to begin the eighth.
Bachar issued a leadoff walk to Lawrence Butler, the first baserunner for the
A's. 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. Michael Petersen got through the eighth without any more damage, and
Miami tacked on an insurance run in the ninth. That proved critical when Pete
Fairbanks gave up three runs, two earned, in the bottom half before finally
closing it out.
After all that, Prez defended his manager for making the change.
"It's something that doesn't feel good," Prez said. "But they don't know the
inside information. We had a plan of 90 pitches. I'm very proud of my team and
very proud of my manager. Mostly the communication that we have."
The 23-year-old Prez, who has never tossed a complete game in his major league
career, struck out eight before giving way to the bullpen.
"I'm a fan of baseball, too, and I know there's a history of this game,"
McCullough said. "It wasn't lost on me."
The 92 pitches were the most Prez has thrown since returning from the injured
list June 24. He had been sidelined since late May because of a bizarre leg
injury sustained while he was stretching in the dugout.
Prez 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
exited a May 27 outing in Toronto 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 Prez was facing the A's for the first time since his rookie
season of 2023. He induced seven groundouts and six flyouts, one of which made
it to the warning track. The right-hander improved to 5-6 with a 3.84 ERA in 15
starts this year.
"Really used his whole arsenal," McCullough said. "This is a version of Eury
we've seen trending."
There have been 24 perfect games in big league history --- each authored by a
single pitcher. Domingo Germn threw the most recent one, for the New York
Yankees against the A's on July 28, 2023.
The Marlins have not had a perfect game in their 33-year history.
Armed with a 98-99 mph fastball, Prez was rated one of baseball's top
prospects before making his major league debut at age 20 in May 2023.
He sat out the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery with an
internal brace, and returned to Miami's rotation in June 2025. He entered
Sunday with a 16-18 record and 3.85 ERA in 53 major league starts.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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