Perez Again Captivates With Latest Feat In Blue Wahoos Lopsided Win

While his Blue Wahoos teammates were pounding home more runs, Eury Perez was bouncing a baseball in the dugout to stay loose.

It was now 8-0 in the fifth inning. His coaches asked Perez if he wanted to come out, given the long inning.

He politely said no way.

Instead, the Perez applied the latest exclamation to his superlative-filled season, working six complete innings Wednesday for the first time in a short pro career during the Blue Wahoos 10-2 win against the Mississippi Braves at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

“I was trying to stay hot until I went back out there,” said Perez, speaking through teammate interpreter Luis Aviles Jr. “They ask me if I wanted to come out of the game and I said no, because I had a goal to come out in the sixth and I knew I wanted to come out with no hits and no runs.”

That’s what happened, of course, as the 19-year-old, 6-foot-8 Perez produced a new way to wow.

Of his 82 pitches Wednesday night, an astonishing 62 were strikes. Perez, rated the Miami Marlins No. 1 prospect by Baseball America, struck out one M-Braves batter with a 99-mph fastball to end the third inning.

In the fourth inning, he punched out another batter for the final out with a 90-mph changeup.

Who can throw a changeup 90 miles-an-hour?

Perez can.

“It is legendary, we’ll put it that way,” said Blue Wahoos first baseman Troy Johnston, who extended his hitting streak to nine games by going 3-for-5 with two RBI.

“He is, what,19? And the kid is just a goofball, I love him. He is awesome,” Johnston said. “I played with him a little bit last year (at High-A level) and he is absolutely spectacular to watch.

“He is one of the guys you talk about later on in your career, yeah, wow, I played with Eury Perez. He was funny and this young kid when we were playing together.”

For the home crowd, which stayed around for the first mid-week fireworks show after the game, it was another fun feat to watch.

Perez gave up just three hits, walked only one batter and struck out five. With the wind whipping in from centerfield off Pensacola Bay, it enabled Perez to attack hitters even more with his fastballs.

“It was definitely windy to the point where one time it was pushing me from the mound, but I was also trying to take advantage of that,” said Perez, who earned his second win and lowered his earned run average to 3.71. “That made me feel a little more comfortable.”

He showed no effect from a 12-day gap between starts, after last week’s scheduled game to pitch was cancelled inMontgomery due to the Biscuits having Covid-19 issues.

“It has been a long time without facing a batter,” said Perez, whose strikeout ratio leads the Southern League and is seventh overall in Minor League Baseball. “I tried to just stay sharp with a bullpen (practices) and trying to simulate a game.”

The run support he got from a six-run rally in the fifth inning led to the Blue Wahoos most lopsided win of the season.

The Blue Wahoos jumped to a 2-0 lead in the second inning on J.D. Orr’s RBI single and Thomas Jones’ sacrifice fly.

They batted around in the 5th inning with Johnston’s two-run single among the biggest hits, followed by RBI doubles from catcher Paul McIntosh and third baseman Cobie Fletcher-Vance.

The Blue Wahoos racked up 14 hits and 10 runs on a night where it was a pitcher’s park.

“It is hard to adjust to the wind,” Johnston said. “I think we just put the ball in the right spots sometimes.

“It’s baseball and sometimes when you hit the ball hard, good things happen. Up and down the lineup we have been hitting the ball hard and (Wednesday) they just found some holes.”

GAME NOTABLES:

--- Wednesday was themed as “School’s Out Bash” and included the first mid-week, post-game fireworks display. Each Wednesday home game through July will include a fireworks show.

--- The Blue Wahoos added right-handed pitcher A.J. Ladwig, 29, an 11th round pick in 2014 by the Detroit Tigers, following his collegiate career at Wichita State.

Ladwig spent his minor league career with the Tigers organization, reaching Triple-A with the Toledo Mud Hens the past several years. He was released May 16 and signed Wednesday by the Miami Marlins to add depth to the Blue Wahoos staff.

--- Ladwig is among four new players on the Blue Wahoos roster the past eight days. Outfielder J.D. Orr, infielder Jose Devers and pitcher Brady Puckett joined the team last week as part of roster moves within the Marlins affiliates in Triple-A Jacksonville and High-A Beloit (Wisconsin).

---- The National Anthem was performed by Emma Hobbs, an grade school student who returned for a second time this season.

---- Wednesday continued the Blue Wahoos season-long promotion of “One-Price Wednesday” where a $17 ticket included any available seat, plus a hot dog, soda and chips.

---- There were three youth baseball teams on the field with players running out with Blue Wahoos starters in pregame introductions. The teams were 8-Under Navarre Dodgers, 11-Under Traveling Eagles and the Gulf Breeze Sports Association 10-Under Braves. In addition, Wave Baseball was part of the group outings.

BLUE WAHOOS HOMESTAND

WHO: Mississippi Braves vs. Blue Wahoos

WHEN: Thursday through Sunday

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.

GAMETIMES: 6:35 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, 6:05 p.m. Saturday, 4:05 p.m. on Sunday.

TICKETS: Online at www.bluewahoos.com/tickets, or at the stadium box office beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday and Friday; 12 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Or by calling 850-934-8444.

RADIO: ESPN-Pensacola (99.1 FM and 1330 AM and WYCT 98.7 HD4).

TV: YurView (check provider) and MILB.tv (streaming) through www.milb.com/live-stream-games with subscription discount using BLUE WAHOOS.

PROMOTIONS:

Thursday is Pensacola Mullet Night with specialty uniforms and Thirsty Thursday with beverage specials.

Friday is Giveaway Friday: The first 2,000 fans through the gates will get a Blue Wahoos commemorative plastic tote bag sponsored by CPC Office Technologies.

Saturday is the traditional post-game fireworks show and Navy Baseball Night with members of NAS Pensacola attending and team wearing commemorative jerseys that will be auctioned for a U.S. Navy charity.

Sunday is Family Sunday with kids able to run the bases following the game and family toss in the outfield for 30 minutes after the game. The will also be celebrating the Navy history in Pensacola with the commemorative jerseys.