Fox Sports announcer Kevin Burkhardt voiced his displeasure Wednesday night regarding the recent trend of Major League Baseball teams removing starting pitchers who are in the midst of perfect games. This sentiment follows two instances within a week where teams opted to pull their pitchers despite a flawless performance on the mound.

The Pittsburgh Pirates removed starter Jared Jones after six perfect innings on Wednesday, only for the bullpen to lose the perfect game. This mirrored a similar decision by the Miami Marlins on Saturday, who pulled Eury Perez after seven perfect frames. The bullpen then allowed a baserunner.

"We are normalizing taking dudes out with perfect games now," Burkhardt wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Wtf are we doing. 2 in the last week."

Managerial Decisions and Pitcher Health

Burkhardt's comments highlight an ongoing debate in baseball about the strategy behind managing pitchers, particularly in the context of potentially historic achievements. Teams often prioritize long-term player health and performance over short-term records.

The Marlins' manager, Skip Schumaker, explained the decision to remove Perez was based on the pitcher's recent injury history and a predetermined pitch count. Perez had thrown 92 pitches over seven perfect innings, and the team was looking to protect him for future starts and a potential playoff run. "Going into this game, 90-plus was the pitch count, but … us looking to play beyond the regular season, Eury’s going to be an important part of that," Schumaker stated postgame. Fans at the game reportedly chanted "Shame" as Perez exited.

Similarly, the Pirates' manager, Don Kelly, cited Jared Jones's recent return from UCL surgery as the primary reason for his early exit. Jones had thrown only 77 pitches through six perfect innings. "Wanting guys to stay healthy is the number one thing with these guys because we need Jared for the rest of the season throwing the ball like that," Kelly said. "Trying to push him right now when he’s only had five ups – there’s just no way."

Jones himself indicated he understood the decision. "Coming into the game we thought we were going to get five [innings] and the pitch count was low, so they sent me back out there for the sixth,” Jones said. “That was all I had tonight."

Contrasting Approach in Toronto

In contrast, the Toronto Blue Jays took a different approach on Wednesday with pitcher Dylan Cease. Cease lost his no-hit bid in the ninth inning on his 118th pitch in a 10-0 win over the Giants. Blue Jays manager John Schneider expressed no hesitation in allowing Cease to continue pitching.

"I’m a fan of baseball. If a guy has a chance to throw a no-hitter, you let him do it, and I think you make the adjustments after that," Schneider said, according to MLB.com. "Dylan, he’s done it before, and he’s really durable. He’s in the category where you can be pretty aggressive with it. It’s not very often you get to see that, so if I can let a player have that opportunity, I’m going to do it every single time."

These contrasting decisions highlight the different philosophies managers employ when balancing the pursuit of individual milestones with the long-term health and goals of their team. The rarity of perfect games—only one has been completed since 2012, by Domingo Germán in 2023—underscores the significance of these moments and the debate surrounding their pursuit.