Jared Jones' 6 Perfect Innings End In Bittersweet Fashion For Pirates

Jared Jones' 6 Perfect Innings End In Bittersweet Fashion For Pirates originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

>Jared Jones threw six brilliant innings for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night against the Atlanta Braves.

>In fact, they were six perfect innings.

>The ending was bittersweet, though: The Pirates played it safe with Jones' talented right arm, and they ended up losing to the Braves, 3-0.

>Jones went 6.0 innings, faced 18 batters, set them all down, and struck out eight.

>He was pulled after 77 pitches.

>Footage from the dugout makes it clear Jones was hoping to keep pitching during Wednesday's game, but manager Don Kelly quickly snagged him to let him know his work was done:

Pirates manager Don Kelly had to chase down Jared Jones and tell him he wasn't going back out for the seventh inning of a perfect game https://t.co/aOZvtUFWGApic.twitter.com/oL66bRIwnV

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 9, 2026MORE: Ryan O'Hearn makes Pirates history with epic slugging night

>Jones has dealt with injury troubles, so it's fair for the Pirates to take it easy with his pitch count.

>If they didn't feel he could go a full nine, then it doesn't necessarily make a difference at what point before then they pull him.

>It was painful that the Braves broke up the perfect game in the seventh, then scored two runs in the eighth and one in the ninth while the Pirates were held off the scoreboard.

>It was still a night to be proud of for Jones, though. He had done what he could to give Pittsburgh a chance, and for six innings, that meant perfection.

>The story just didn't have a perfect ending.

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