Bart's Homer Spoils Jones' Near-Perfect Bid
Jared Jones Carries Near-Perfect Game Before Exit, Joey Bart's Homer Seals Braves Victory
Key Points
Joey Bart, formerly of the Pirates and who had 12th career homer at PNC Park, had been traded to the Braves on June 18 for reliever Hunter Stratton, and later delivered a 422-foot homer in the game.
Pirates GM Ben Cherington indicated Jones would be kept on a deliberate 75–85 pitch limit as he returns from elbow surgery, with the goal of allowing him to go deep enough into games without risking overexposure.
Attendance at PNC Park for the game was 20,062, highlighting the strong local turnout for Jones’s return from surgery.
Jones’s pitch mix in the outing leaned heavily on power fastballs, with 55 fastballs, 20 sliders, and only one changeup/curveball among his 77 pitches, illustrating the controlled, tailored approach to his comeback start.
There has never been a combined perfect game in MLB history, a fact that framed the night as a near-miss for a historic accomplishment.
Pittsburgh Pirates starter Jared Jones retired the first 18 Atlanta Braves batters he faced Monday night, carrying a perfect game through six innings in his comeback from elbow surgery. But the bid for history ended when the bullpen took over — and former Pirate Joey Bart made his old team pay, according to Pittsburgh Baseball Now.
Bart crushed a 422-foot two-run homer off Dennis Santana in the eighth inning, giving Atlanta a 3-0 lead it would not relinquish. The Braves won at PNC Park before a crowd of 20,062, handing Jones a no-decision in what Audacy called the best start of his brief career.
Jones Dazzles Through Six Before Pitch Limit Ends Run
Jones threw 77 pitches across six perfect innings, striking out eight batters — a season high. His arsenal leaned hard on power: 55 fastballs, 20 sliders, and just one changeup or curveball among his 77 total pitches. The Pirates pulled him right at his limit, per WPXI.
Pirates GM Ben Cherington made clear the team would manage Jones carefully. He set a deliberate pitch window of 75 to 85 throws per outing as Jones rebuilds after elbow surgery. The goal is to let him go deep enough into games without risking his arm. Jones finished six innings — right at the edge of that window.
Albies Single in Seventh Breaks Up the Perfect Game
The perfect game ended in the seventh inning when Ozzie Albies hit a single to left field off the Pirates bullpen. A deflection near the infield helped the ball find a hole, ending an otherwise flawless sequence by Pittsburgh's pitching staff, according to CBS Sports.
No combined perfect game has ever been thrown in MLB history. That fact framed the night's what-if. Jones had done his part. But once he left, the rare feat was no longer possible — no matter how well the bullpen performed.
Bart's 422-Foot Blast Off His Former Team Decides It
Joey Bart was traded from Pittsburgh to Atlanta on June 18 for reliever Hunter Stratton. On Monday, he returned to PNC Park and hit his 12th career homer there — a 422-foot shot off Santana in the eighth. The blast scored two runs and put the game away, per Sports Yahoo.
The night featured a sharp defensive sequence too. Center fielder Bryan Reynolds made a leaping catch to rob Bart of an earlier home run. But Reynolds could not save the bullpen in the eighth. Bart got his revenge on his old ballpark — and his old team.
Pirates Offense Flat as Braves Bullpen Slams the Door
Atlanta's pitching staff kept the Pirates quiet all night. Pittsburgh managed just four hits in the game. The Braves' bullpen did not allow a run after Jones left, locking down the 3-0 final. The Pirates had no answer after Bart's homer gave Atlanta breathing room, according to Audacy.
For Jones, the night still marked a real step forward. He returned from surgery and threw six perfect innings in front of more than 20,000 fans. The Pirates lost the game — but Jones showed he is back, and the team plans to keep building his workload slowly through the rest of the season.
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