In February, Martín Pérez arrived in North Port, Florida, as a nonroster invitee to Braves spring training. He was 34 years old, returning from an injury-plagued season in which his fastball averaged a hair under 90 mph.
The Venezuelan was with the Braves, in no small part, because he had few other options.
“I was almost (going) to be at home,” Pérez said Thursday. “Especially (after) last year, I was hurt for too many months.”
All Pérez has been for six months is an indispensable part of a team that has been among baseball’s best.
“He’s made a huge impact here in a short amount of time,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said.
The lefty’s latest moment happened Thursday in what Weiss deemed nothing less than a “must-win” — heavy language for a team that started the day leading the National League East by three games.
But the Braves had lost three games in a row while scoring a total of three runs. Starting a crucial three-game weekend home series with the Phillies on a four-game losing streak would have been a problem.
In an afternoon game at Truist Park, Pérez entered this dire situation and gave his team a dominant effort in the Braves’ 3-1 win over the Rays. The veteran of 15 MLB seasons kept the Rays scoreless in his seven-inning start, limiting them to four hits (all singles) and two walks against four strikeouts.
“You know what?” Pérez asked. “I was in the bullpen, I don’t feel that good. And then most of the time when you go to the bullpen, you don’t feel good in the bullpen, that means that you’re going to have a good game.”
So it was Thursday.
After the first inning, he allowed only one Rays baserunner to reach as far as second base.
“Martin stepped up big time in a game we needed to win (Thursday),” Weiss said.
He made one of the plays of the game, fielding a sixth-inning bunt by former St. Pius and Georgia Tech star Chandler Simpson and then, with his momentum carrying him away from first base, throwing to first baseman Matt Olson to beat the swift-footed Simpson by a hair.
“My plan was, he cannot get on base (Thursday),” Pérez said. “I’m going to throw nothing easy to him because he can steal bases. He can go to first and then in two seconds, he’ll be on third.”
It’s quite reasonable to say that the club would not be in first place without Pérez, providing depth to the rotation and regularly covering at least five innings. He’s still averaging under 90 on his fastball, but he has a way of avoiding barrels and using his defense.
In 28 appearances (24 starts), his ERA is now 3.08 in 131⅔ innings, well below his career ERA of 4.31. He has thrown the fourth-most innings on the roster. Not bad for a player who was among the last players signed by the Braves before spring training.
Said Weiss, “One of our most consistent starters and a great story.”
Pérez memorably took the ball on Aug. 1, when scheduled starter Reynaldo López was a late scratch with a knee injury, a situation exacerbated by the fact that the bullpen had been taxed at the time.
While he was preparing to pitch the next day, Pérez willingly accepted the assignment and had one of the best starts of his career. He held the Nationals scoreless over his seven innings at Truist Park, carrying a no-hit bid into his final inning.
Weiss called him “an unbelievable teammate” after the game, an 8-3 Braves win.
“He has been great this year for us,” said second baseman Ozzie Albies, whose pinch-hit triple in the eighth catalyzed the Braves’ three-run binge to break a scoreless tie. “His work that he always puts in, it’s been awesome. It’s awesome to see.”
The Braves are Pérez’s eighth MLB team, counting two stints with the Rangers. In his age-35 season, he is on track to have arguably the second-best season of his 15-year career and figures to play a role in the postseason.
“It’s been awesome,” he said. “Everything in the clubhouse is amazing. I haven’t been in this kind of clubhouse for a long time.”
He’s been no small part of it.
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