07/05/26 07:20:00
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07/05 19:18 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) --- Eury Prez was pulled after pitching seven
perfect innings Sunday, and the Miami Marlins nearly blew an eight-run lead
before holding on for a 9-8 victory over the Athletics.
Marlins reliever Lake Bachar replaced Prez 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. Michael Petersen got through the eighth without any more damage, and
Miami tacked on an insurance run in the ninth. That proved critical when closer
Pete Fairbanks gave up three runs in the bottom half before finally closing it
out.
The 23-year-old Prez, 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 Prez has thrown in three starts 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.
There have been 24 perfect games in big league history --- none a combined
effort by multiple pitchers. 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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