​Pittsburgh (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jared Jones carried a perfect game into six innings against the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night. Through six frames, Jones had retired every batter he faced and was working on a pristine performance, having struck out eight while throwing 77 pitches, with 53 of those pitches landing for strikes. His bid for a rare feat nearly ended in the third inning when Braves catcher Joey Bart connected with a pitch on a slider, sending a long fly ball to left field. However, Bryan Reynolds tracked the ball to the wall and made the catch, preserving the scoreless tie as the game continued.
The 24-year-old Jones entered the evening with a 1-1 record and a 5.28 ERA across eight starts. He had just returned to the mound on May 20 after missing all of the previous season due to ulnar collateral ligament internal brace surgery, an injury and procedure he faced during the 2025 campaign. A second-round pick in the 2020 MLB draft, Jones has totaled a 7-9 record with a 4.36 ERA over two seasons in the majors.
Perfect games are an exceedingly rare occurrence in Major League Baseball, with 24 having been recorded in the history of the sport. The most recent instance prior to this night came when Domingo Germán struck out nine in an 11-0 Yankees victory over the Oakland Athletics at the Coliseum on June 28, 2023. On May 25, another notable milestone occurred when the Houston Astros added to the long list of no-hitters in major league annals. Tatsuya Imai walked four and struck out two over the first six innings of a 9-0 win against the Texas Rangers, while Steven Okert worked a single inning and Alimber Santa pitched a perfect final frame.
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