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Jared Jones flirted with Major League Baseball history Wednesday night — he got it, but it wasn’t what he originally envisioned.
The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher retired the first 18 batters he faced, but was pulled in the middle of his perfect game after six innings.
Now, the Pirates certainly have their reasons — the 24-year-old Jones hasn’t thrown more than 81 pitches in eight starts since returning on May 20 after missing all of last season while undergoing ulnar collateral ligament internal brace surgery on May 21, 2025. He was hurled 77 pitches more than 10th in MLB history.
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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: Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
However, Jones left the game after getting zero run support, so when the Atlanta Braves tacked on three runs late for a 3-0 victory, Jones instead 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 pitch at least six perfect innings and not record a win.
“It stinks. Something cool is coming, but I’m in what? My eighth start on surgery? I totally get it and it is what it is,” Jones told reporters after the game.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (17) walks to the field to warm up before pitching against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
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Jones said he didn’t entertain trying to complete the perfect game.
“Not with the number of seats,” he said. “I didn’t really expect to go nine right now, so it was never in my head.”
Joey Bart, traded to the Braves from the Pirates on June 18, followed a double by Mike Yastrzemski with a 422-foot, two-run homer to left-center field off a Dennis Santana slider. Drake Baldwin added an RBI single to center in the ninth for good measure.
It was the second time in less than a week that a pitcher was removed from the game with a perfect pitch through six innings – the Miami Marlins pulled Eury Perez after seven innings of 92 pitches. Perez, too, is in the midst of returning from injury and has surprisingly found himself right in the postseason mix.
He was pulled for Lake Bachar to start the eighth, and the Marlins allowed eight runs to the Athletics in the final two innings but held on to win 9-8.
Jared Jones (17) of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers 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 out of the final wild card spot, which is held by the Marlins.
