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Jared Jones was flirting with Major League history Wednesday night; He understood it, but it wasn’t what he originally imagined.
The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher retired the first 18 batters he faced, but was thrown out in the middle of his attempt at a perfect game after six innings.
Now, the Pirates certainly have their reasons: Jones, 24, hasn’t thrown more than 81 pitches in eight starts since returning on May 20 after missing all of last season while undergoing internal ulnar collateral ligament brace surgery on May 21, 2025. He was retired with 77 pitches and likely would have needed more than 100 pitches to record his 25th perfect game in the history of the MLB.
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Jared Jones of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park on July 8, 2026, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
However, Jones left the game after receiving no run support, so when the Atlanta Braves added three runs late for a 3-0 victory, Jones found himself in the wrong chapter of the history books.
According to Opta Stats, Jones became the first pitcher in the modern era (since 1920) to throw at least six perfect innings and not record a win.
“It sucks. There’s something good coming up, but I’m on what? My eighth start after surgery? I completely get it, and it is what it is,” Jones told reporters after the game.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (17) heads to the field to warm up before pitching against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. (Charles LeClaire/Image Images)
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Jones said he didn’t dawdle trying to complete the perfect game.
“Not with the pitch count,” he said. “I never really expected to get to nine at this point, so that was never in my head.”
Joey Bart, traded to the Braves from the Pirates on June 18, followed a Mike Yastrzemski double with a 422-foot, two-run homer to left-center field off a Dennis Santana slider. Drake Baldwin added an RBI single to center field in the ninth for good measure.
It was the second time in less than a week that a pitcher was taken out of the game with a perfect bid in six innings: the Miami Marlins pulled Eury Pérez after seven innings in which he threw 92 pitches. Perez is also returning from injury and surprisingly finds himself right in the postseason mix.
He was pulled off Lake Bachar to start the eighth, and the Marlins allowed eight runs to the A’s in the final two innings, but held on to win 9-8.
Jared Jones (17) of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws a pitch during an MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds on June 27, 2026 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The Pirates are 4.0 games from the last wild card, which is in the hands of the Marlins.
