MIAMI — Starting pitchers often isolate themselves, plug in their headphones and focus on their game plan on the day of their outing. That was the opposite of what Martín Pérez did before the Atlanta Braves’ 8-4 win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday.The veteran left-hander walked into the visitors clubhouse at loanDepot Park with a smile — decked out in a cheetah print shirt, baggy jeans and sparkling black sneakers — and eagerly greeted his teammates and shared laughs with members of the local Spanish-speaking media. The behavior was far from typical, but so was the outing the 35-year-old assembled hours later.In the 285th start of his 15 years in the major leagues, the Venezuelan left-hander threw the first double-digit strikeout game of his career, with 10. The demeanor he displayed pregame propelled his performance.“I wasn’t thinking about the 10 strikeouts,” Pérez said in Spanish postgame. “I just went out there and had fun. I knew what pitches I needed to use to strike out, and I went out there and executed.”Pérez got off to a suspect start. He gave up a solo homer to Xavier Edwards and a two-run double to All-Star outfielder Kyle Stowers. He gave up one more run in the third.But when he noticed activity in the bullpen as the fourth inning began, he locked in. He wanted to prove that he should remain in the game. When he returned in the fifth inning, there was no more movement.Then the Marlins put men on second and third with two out. When outfielder Esteury Ruíz came to the plate, left-hander Dylan Dodd was warming up.
Martín Pérez is keeping the Braves’ pitching staff stable after a few lost years
Pérez has shown through the Braves' first two months that he still has enough in the tank to help a team win.















