Eury Pérez retired all 21 batters he faced and carried Miami with seven perfect innings before Clayton McCullough replaced him in the eighth. The Marlins still held on for a 9-8 win after nearly blowing an eight-run lead.
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Eury Pérez was cruising, threading his way through 21 straight batters, when the moment that mattered arrived: seven perfect innings complete, 92 pitches thrown, and yet Clayton McCullough chose to lift him to start the eighth.
The Marlins had worked up an eight-run cushion in the seventh-to-eighth stretch after getting big swings from Heriberto Hernández. Leo Jiménez and Otto López. Miami eventually survived Sunday’s 9-8 victory over the Athletics. but not before the lead they built with Pérez’s work nearly vanished once reliever Lake Bachar took over.
Pérez finished with seven perfect frames, striking out a season-high eight while retiring every batter he faced. He was pulled anyway, and the decision drew boos from a crowd full of A’s fans.
The timing felt sharp because Pérez had been at the center of the Marlins’ story all game. The 6-foot-8 right-hander missed the 2024 season after recovering from Tommy John surgery. and this season he had thrown without walking anyone for the fourth time. He also returned from the injured list on June 24 after being sidelined since late May by a bizarre leg injury he suffered while stretching in the dugout.
Even in the seventh, Miami’s bats were still loud. Hernández launched two homers, Jiménez and All-Star shortstop Otto López also went deep, and the Marlins completed their sweep of the three-game set.
López, who leads the majors with a .346 batting average, drove in three runs and scored twice. He and Hernández turned the game with back-to-back homers in the sixth. Both finished with three hits each of Miami’s 16 total.
But the eighth told a different story—one that started with Bachar issuing a leadoff walk to Lawrence Butler. the first baserunner for Oakland. Joshua Kuroda-Grauer then dropped a pop-fly single into shallow right field for the A’s first hit. Carlos Cortes followed with an RBI double. Max Muncy walked. and Jonah Heim launched a grand slam that cut Miami’s advantage to 8-5.
Serven singled to chase Bachar, and he couldn’t retire the damage he inherited—he didn’t retire any of the six batters he faced. Brian Serven’s hit kept the inning alive, and despite the early chaos, Michael Petersen got through the eighth without any further damage.
Miami did add a run in the ninth to create breathing room. That proved necessary when Pete Fairbanks gave up three runs—two earned—in the bottom half before finally closing it out.
Heim finished with six RBIs after adding a two-run single to end his day’s production.
For the Athletics, Gage Jump (3-3) took the loss after allowing a career-high six runs in three innings. Oakland has now dropped seven of eight.
Hernández hit solo homers in the first and sixth. Jiménez added a two-run drive in the third—his first home run since June 12, 2025.
Pérez’s night ended with perfection unfinished, and Miami’s win ended with sweat. The Marlins now open their next series Tuesday in Seattle, while the Athletics visit the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.
Eury Pérez Miami Marlins Athletics Clayton McCullough Lake Bachar Otto López Heriberto Hernández Leo Jiménez Jonah Heim Pete Fairbanks