Sporting a new look, Pérez brings his A-game against Toronto

MIAMI -- Eury Pérez pitched from the stretch just twice in his first five innings against Toronto on Sunday afternoon at loanDepot park.

That’s just the kind of day it was for the 22-year-old Dominican, whose new haircut and glove had him feeling like a brand-new man in the 5-3 win.

“I don’t know,” Pérez said with a smile, via translator Luis Dorante Jr. “I just wanted to change a few things. Who knows? Cut your hair a little bit, some of the bad luck will go away.”

The 6-foot-8 righty is 3-0 in five starts in August after Sunday’s win. He went 4 1/3 innings his last time out vs. St. Louis, allowing three runs (one earned) and striking out six in the Marlins’ 8-3 loss.

But Pérez allowed a combined nine runs and five homers in his previous two starts. For a pitcher with a career ERA of 3.28, that stretch was below standard.

So, the young phenom chopped a few inches off his once-flowing hairdo. And in the process, he chopped a few points off his season’s ERA.

Pérez was impressive Sunday, fanning four and allowing two runs on three hits in six innings. The Marlins took a 1-0 lead thanks to an Eric Wagaman home run in the third, and went up 4-0 when Jakob Marsee slapped a bases-loaded triple the following frame.

Toronto came within one run when Daulton Varsho belted a three-run homer in the seventh. The hit came off reliever Lake Bachar, but Pérez had two of those runs charged to him after allowing a base hit and a walk to start the frame.

Pérez, who took in the revelry of Miami’s Dominican Heritage Night on Saturday, exited the game Sunday to a rousing applause. He finished with a career-high 94 pitches, while matching his second-best mark of the season in innings pitched (six).

“It feels great,” Pérez said of the fanfare. “It’s just -- the exchange of energy is amazing. … Just having the fans out there cheering for you, it injects you with energy.

“Not only [for] one person, but the whole team, and it’s something that transforms [us] on the field.”

Agustín Ramírez sent fans into a frenzy in the seventh with an insurance run via an RBI single. The line drive scored Marsee, who doubled again with two outs in the previous at-bat.

Pérez, who had high praise for Marsee’s “excellence” postgame, expressed gratitude for the day.

“Thank God for this outing,” Pérez said. “I think it was a good outing, an outing that gave me … learning experience.”

“I think this is a very strong lineup over there. … I will say it was one of the better [starts] that I had this season. … I will rank it one of the top [performances] this season.”

It’s likely that Pérez doesn’t take these moments for granted. He missed the entire 2024 campaign following Tommy John surgery, and made his ‘25 debut against Pittsburgh on June 9.

He was beat up in that outing, allowing four runs in three innings, and beginning the year with a 12.00 ERA. He excelled in flashes the rest of the month, but when June flipped to July, the former top prospect found another gear.

Pérez went 3-1 in five starts in July with a 1.29 ERA. That number was second-lowest in the National League (minimum 25 innings), while he had the lowest WHIP (0.64) in all of baseball.

His WHIP metric was the second-lowest in any calendar month in Marlins history, while it was the lowest for any MLB pitcher aged 22 or younger since 1893, per Elias.

Sunday was just another appetizer of the ability that he possesses.

“He had a really electric fastball today,” manager Clayton McCullough said, “and the command of his pitches was great. I think he utilized all of his stuff.

“... His slider was good today, he mixed in some really good changeups. I thought him and Liam [Hicks] did a nice job of utilizing his whole mix, but his ability to pound it with his fastball, and gain count leverage was a big reason why he was able to be so efficient. … Great outing.”

Pérez possesses a plus fastball (93 run value, per Statcast) that can reach 100 mph. His xBA number (.199) is elite -- in the top 4 percent of pitchers leaguewide. He’s learning to spin his slider and complement the heater with other offspeed offerings.

And with outings like Sunday’s, Pérez is showing that he could be just scratching the surface of his true Major League potential.