Eury Perez threw a one-hit shutout, and Joe Mack homered in the bottom of the seventh to break a scoreless tie, leading the Miami Marlins to a 3-0 win over the Atlanta Braves.

Perez was outstanding for the Fish, who went the distance and struck out eight Braves hitters while walking just one. He allowed his only hit of the game to Atlanta catcher Sean Murphy and threw 105 pitches in the masterful performance.

It was the final start of the year for the Marlins' 23-year-old righty, and he certainly made it count. Perez has spent the season further establishing himself as the team's number-three starter behind Sandy Alcantara and Max Meyer. He will be a fixture of the rotation in 2027, and the team will look to him to build off this solid start for when the Fish return to action next Spring.

Barring a random relief appearance before the 2026 season ends, Perez finishes with solid but not spectacular stats this season. He went 7-11 with a 4.14 ERA, 162 strikeouts, and just 67 walks in 150 innings pitched. He did allow 20 home runs this year, a number that manager Clayton McCullough will want to see come down a bit as Perez's career advances.

With the win, the Marlins move to 79-81 with just two games remaining in the final series of the year against the National League East Champions. The Braves fell to 93-67, but they are essentially on cruise control until October, when the postseason gets underway. With the Georgia squad laying low, Miami has a realistic chance of sweeping the series and still (somehow) managing to pull off a .500 record before it's all said and done.

Since around the beginning of June, Marlins fans have been taken on a roller coaster ride of emotions with this team. A magnificent June, a cruel July, and an apathetic August marked the Summer calendar as the youthful unit kept trying to find its identity. The growing pains may have been difficult this year, but president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and the rest of the front office are banking on the development of their excellent farm system over the next few years. 

Before we get there, however, the South Florida Nine still have some business to handle. They return to action on Saturday (Sept 26), in game two of the three-game set. Jack Ralston will start the penultimate showdown of the season for Miami. He's 0-2, with a 4.50 ERA and 17 strikeouts. He will be opposed for left-hander Atlanta's Brent Suter (3-2, 3.48 ERA, 75 SO). It will be a bit of an early start, with first pitch expected at 4:10 PM ET.