Martin Perez's emergency start turns into a near-perfect night for Braves

Martin Perez wasn't even supposed to be on the mound. Reynaldo Lopez felt soreness in his left knee during his pregame routine, and the Braves needed someone to grab a ball on zero notice. Perez, a 15-year veteran who signed a minor league deal with Atlanta back in January and has bounced on and off the roster all year, got the call. What he did with it was ridiculous.

Ronald Acuna Jr. got things rolling early, going deep to put the Braves on the board first. That's the kind of swing that changes a game before the other dugout even settles in, and it gave Perez a cushion to work with all night.

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ACUÑA BOMB

From there it was all Perez. He carried a no-hit bid deep into the game, mixing that low-90s sinker with soft contact all afternoon, and by the time he hit the sixth inning the building knew exactly what it was watching. Eric Hubbs summed up the vibe from the Barstool crowd, calling it a good outing from a guy who'd struggled his last time out and only half-joking about wanting to trade for hitters mid-game to back him up.

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Martin Perez on short notice has 6 no hit innings

The bid ultimately ended when Brady House lined a 2-0 sinker into right field for a clean single, breaking it up in the 7th inning after Perez had gone that deep without allowing a hit. He finished with two walks and six strikeouts, and Atlanta closed it out for an 8-3 win. It marked the first time a Braves pitcher had flirted with a no-hitter that deep into a game since Kent Mercker actually threw one back on April 8, 1994 — that's how rare this was for the franchise.

For a guy who signed a non-roster minor league deal in January just hoping to make the club, then got designated for assignment in April before re-signing again, this is about as good as a redemption arc gets. Perez has quietly become one of the better stories in Atlanta's rotation depth this year, and a spot start turning into a near-history-making outing only adds to it. The Braves will take results like this from anywhere in the roster right now, scheduled starter or not.