After nearly facing retirement, the veteran left-hander became just the 10th Venezuelan to join this list.
Martín Pérez spent part of last year wondering whether his career was coming to an end.
On Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, he reached a milestone he once never expected to see.
Pérez earned his 100th career victory in the Atlanta Braves’ 6-3 win over the Cubs, becoming the 10th Venezuelan-born pitcher to reach that mark. He didn’t need a dominant outing to get there, either. He worked six innings, allowed three runs — two earned — and left the rest to an Atlanta bullpen that protected the lead after Ozzie Albies’ seventh-inning home run.
The win itself was significant. What Pérez said afterward made it feel bigger.
"It means a lot," Pérez said postgame, via Sports Illustrated's Harrison Smajovits. "I mean, being around a long time and have this be blessed to be a 100-win guy in the big leagues, especially where I come from."
That’s what makes the number a little different for Pérez. He wasn’t chasing 100 when he arrived in the majors. He was simply trying to stay there long enough to keep pitching.
After dealing with a flexor-tendon injury in 2025 and appearing in only 11 games for the White Sox, Pérez had reached the point where retirement was something he had actually considered. The Braves eventually gave him another opportunity with a minor-league contract, and the 35-year-old decided to see what was left.
His season since then has taken a few turns.
Pérez went through waivers, moved between the bullpen and rotation and eventually established himself as one of Atlanta’s more reliable starters. After Tuesday's win, he carries a 3.07 ERA over 137 2/3 innings in 29 appearances, including 25 starts.
Walt Weiss told reporters postgame that the milestone reflected exactly how Pérez has approached the season.
“Nothing’s handed out in this league,” Weiss said, via Braves Vision. “Everything you get, you earn, and that’s a special accomplishment. And he’s had to grind for it.”
Pérez has certainly done his share of grinding.
He said the 100th win meant even more because of the people who supported him throughout his career, particularly his family and those back home in Venezuela.
“God gave me the chance to be on that list from the Venezuelan list to be one of the guys who win more than 100 or more wins,” Pérez said, via Braves Vision. “That’s really blessed. It’s a lot for me, and especially me and my family.”
There was also something fitting about the way Tuesday’s game unfolded.
Pérez didn’t leave with the lead. In fact, Atlanta trailed 3-2 when he was still the pitcher of record. He had already done what he described as his job: keep the game close enough for the offense to eventually give him a chance.
“My job is go out there and pull zeros,” Pérez said. The Braves eventually did the rest.
For Pérez, 100 wins ended up being less about the number itself than everything that had to happen for him to reach it. A career that briefly looked like it might be winding down has instead brought him to one of the biggest milestones of his 15-year major-league career.
And now, with Atlanta pushing toward October, Pérez has something else to chase.
