Sports

Jared Jones Tried To Hide From Pittsburgh Manager In Pursuit Of Perfect Game

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Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Jared Jones pitched six perfect innings against the Braves.


Jared Jones had a perfect game going through six innings of a Wednesday night game between the Braves and Pirates. He was removed from the field before the seventh frame.

The Pittsburgh pitcher did his best to avoid that benching. He, unfortunately, could not hide from his manager.

Don Kelly chased Jones down as he beelined for the clubhouse. His attempt to stay out of sight failed.

Jared Jones had a perfect game.

The pitcher was dealing in the Steel City during his matchup with Atlanta. He struck out eight hitters across six frames. He did not allow a baserunner.

Despite that success, he was subbed out of the game before the start of the seventh inning. He was only 77 pitches in. It appeared, however, that he knew his night was coming to an end.

Jones did what he could to prolong his evening. His manager wouldn’t fall for the shenanigans.

Kelly caught his pitcher running towards the clubhouse. He gave a congratulatory message while informing him of the decision.

Why was he benched?

Jones had UCL repair surgery last May. Recovery is typically around 10-12 months. At this point in time, it’s been a little over a year since the procedure. Still, Kelly did not want to risk injury with a playoff push in mind.

“It sucks,” the manager said. “Under normal circumstances, you continue to go… He was supposed to go five (innings) and 80 (pitches). He was so efficient he ended up getting six.

“Health is the number one thing. We need Jared the rest of the season. Trying to push him, there’s just no way.”

This was actually Jones’s longest outing of the season in terms of innings pitched. He’s gone five frames or less in each previous start. This was undoubtedly his most impressive, but the Pirates weren’t going to venture too far from the plan.

Jared Jones is not the only pitcher to be benched during a perfect game this season. In fact, just last week, Miami did the same with Eury Perez. It nearly cost them the game.

Perez’s night ended after seven innings and his team up 8-0. The reasoning was the same, with player health in mind.

For Pittsburgh, it did prove costly. The bullpen surrendered three runs across the last three innings. It allowed Jones to make unfortunate history.

Despite Jones’s perfection, the Pirates were served a loss. They’ll try to bounce back on Thursday.