The Miami Marlins continued their remarkable midseason surge on Sunday afternoon, completing a three-game sweep of the Athletics with a dramatic 9-8 victory at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California. While the final score reflected a nail biting finish, the game will be remembered for the dominant performance of starting pitcher Eury Pérez, who authored seven flawless innings before an unforgettable bid for perfection ended after his departure.
Miami improved to 49-42, winning for the ninth time in its last 12 games and continuing to establish itself as one of baseball’s hottest teams heading into the All-Star break.
Pérez delivered one of the finest starts of his young career. The towering 6-foot-8 right-hander retired all 21 batters he faced over seven perfect innings while striking out eight and throwing 92 pitches, his highest total since returning from the injured list on June 24.
It marked the fourth time this season Pérez did not issue a walk, showcasing pinpoint command and overpowering stuff throughout his outing.
Considering everything Pérez has overcome, the performance was even more impressive. After missing the entire 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, he also suffered a bizarre setback earlier this year when he injured his leg while stretching in the Marlins’ dugout, sidelining him since late May.
Despite his dominance, manager Clayton McCullough elected to remove Pérez after seven innings, a decision driven by workload management. The Sacramento crowd, filled largely with Athletics fans, loudly booed as Pérez walked off the mound with perfection still intact.
The pursuit of the Marlins’ first perfect game disappeared almost instantly. Reliever Lake Bachar entered to begin the eighth inning and immediately walked Lawrence Butler, ending the perfect game and no-hit bid before recording an out.
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer followed with a bloop single into shallow right field for Oakland’s first hit, and the Athletics suddenly came alive.
Carlos Cortes doubled home a run before Max Muncy drew another walk. Jonah Heim then crushed a grand slam, slicing Miami’s once commanding lead to 8-5.
Bachar failed to retire any of the six batters he faced before being replaced by Michael Petersen, who finally halted the rally and prevented further damage in the eighth.
Fortunately for Miami, the offense had built a massive cushion. Heriberto Hernández enjoyed the best game of his young career, blasting two solo home runs while collecting three hits. He opened the scoring with a first-inning homer before going deep again in the sixth.
Leo Jiménez contributed a two-run homer in the third inning, his first home run since June 12, 2025.
All-Star shortstop Otto Lopez continued his sensational season, finishing with three hits, three RBIs and two runs scored. Lopez launched a home run immediately after Hernández in the sixth inning as the pair hit back-to-back blasts.
Lopez continues to pace the major leagues with a .346 batting average and now owns 39 multi-hit games, the most by any player before the All-Star break since Jose Altuve recorded 40 in 2014.
Miami pounded out 16 hits overall, repeatedly putting pressure on Athletics starter Gage Jump.
Jump endured a difficult afternoon, allowing a career-high six runs in just three innings while falling to 3-3 on the season.
Although the Athletics nearly completed an incredible comeback, Miami added what proved to be a crucial insurance run in the ninth inning.
That extra run became invaluable when Pete Fairbanks surrendered three runs—two earned—in the bottom of the ninth before finally recording the final out to secure his save.
Heim was the offensive star for Oakland despite the loss, finishing with an incredible six RBIs, including his eighth inning grand slam and a two-run single in the ninth that made the final score much closer than anyone anticipated.
The Athletics have now dropped seven of their last eight games. While the late collapse prevented a historic pitching achievement, the Marlins leave Northern California with exactly what they wanted a three-game sweep and continued momentum entering a challenging stretch of the season.
Pérez’s dominant return from injury provides another encouraging sign for Miami’s rotation, while the offense continues to receive production throughout the lineup. Hernández’s breakout performance and Lopez’s All-Star caliber season have helped fuel one of baseball’s most surprising first halves.
The Marlins will look to carry their winning ways into Seattle when they open a new series against the Mariners on Tuesday.
The Athletics will attempt to snap their recent skid Tuesday night when they begin a road series against the Detroit Tigers.
