On Sunday, the Miami Marlins almost blew their chance to sweep the Athletics despite throwing a perfect game for seven innings. Had they lost, the only person to blame would have been the manager, Clayton McCullough. At least, that’s how many Marlins fans saw it, as they let him hear it after he pulled the plug on the team’s 23-year-old phenom starter.

In the longest outing since his trip to the IL, Eury Pérez kept a clean sheet for 7 innings. He took 92 pitches to decimate the Athletics offense, retiring all 21 batters. But his bid for a perfect game, Miami’s first in 33 years, was halted by manager Clayton McCullough. With the Marlins leading 8-0, he pulled Pérez for relief pitching. As the no-hitter bid disappeared with the lead rapidly diminishing, fans in Sacramento were enraged.

“Fans were chanting “SHAME” at Clayton McCullough for pulling Eury Pérez after seven perfect innings at 92 pitches,” Foul Territory wrote, posting the on-field moment on X.

After Pérez struck out eight batters, induced seven groundouts, and six flyouts, fans watched Lake Bachar issue a leadoff walk to Lawrence Butler. It was the Athletics’ first baserunner via walk on Sunday. Bachar needed just three batters to end the Marlins’ no-hit and shutout bid. He then allowed a single to Joshua Kuroda-Grauer and an RBI double to Carlos Cortes, giving the Athletics their first run of the day.

Bachar, who did not retire any batters during his outing, loaded the bases and promptly gave up a grand slam to Jonah Heim. It chipped the Marlins’ lead to 8-5, prompting more “Shame” chants from the stands. Michael Petersen replaced Bachar to end the dreadful inning without any more damage.

Meanwhile, the Marlins stacked up one more run in the ninth, which eventually became critical for their win.

McCullough brought Pete Fairbanks to close out the game, and the closer worked through a shaky ninth, surrendering 3-more runs, but managed to cap it for a 9-8 victory.

There has never been a combined perfect game, and McCullough’s decision to pull Pérez ended the franchise’s chance to record its first perfect game since its inception in 1993.

Domingo Germán of the New York Yankees pitched the latest perfect game in 2023. But maybe, just maybe, if Pérez had been given the chance, he might have delivered, considering his performance this season.

Miami Marlins’ star Eury Pérez’s season so far

In his third MLB season, Eury Pérez has been mostly impressive on the mound. He debuted with the Marlins in 2023 but missed all of the 2024 season because of Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow. The right-hander has been back to pitching since 2025.

This season, Pérez holds a 3.84 ERA with a 5-6 record across 79.2 innings in 15 starts. Sunday was his third outing since a bizarre injury in May sidelined him for nearly a month before he started against the Texas Rangers on June 24. At the time, he was suffering from a high-grade strain in his right gracilis, a thigh muscle.

During his outing against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 27, Pérez exited the game early after throwing four shutout innings. He had reportedly injured his hamstring while warming up for the fifth inning. He was in tremendous pain and required assistance while walking inside the clubhouse. However, his latest outing indicates he is back in top shape.

Sunday marked the most innings he had pitched in a game this season. He threw 11 first-pitch strikes during the game, while the Athletics managed only three hard-hit balls against him. So yes, Pérez’s dominant outing will still be remembered, though so will the decision that cut it short.