Pirates pulling Jared Jones from perfect game was right move, but on wrong side of history

Just one day after Ryan O'Hearn had 10 RBI — thus becoming just the 17th player in MLB history to do so — Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly removed starting pitcher Jared Jones before he had his chance to make history of his own.

Jones threw six perfect innings on Wednesday night against the Atlanta Braves. He was also on a pitch count, and 77 pitches thrown was just a few too many, prompting Kelly to remove Jones in a decision that would receive a chorus of boos from PNC Park faithful.

Don't get it twisted, though. Kelly made the right call to take Jones out of the game, as the right-hander is just over a year remove from undergoing internal brace surgery on his UCL. The Pirates are playing it safe with a starting pitcher they deem incredibly valuable, who is under contract through 2029. Making history is important, but so is making the playoffs. Another injury to Jones could be the death knell to Pittsburgh's chances. Jones made his official return in May. The Pirates didn't want to push it, despite the reservations of several fans (and some beat reporters).

Pirates made the wrong kind of history by removing Jared Jones

The Pirates felt they had to take Jones out of the game, as he was on a pitch count and was making just his eighth start since a return from surgery. Jones was scheduled to throw five innings or 80 pitches, whichever came first. He threw 77 pitches over six innings. Pitch count or not, Pittsburgh robbed fans of a chance to watch history, and did so in record timing.

Also, in typical Pirates fashion, the bullpen not only failed to combine for the three remaining innings of perfect work, but they gave up the lead as well. This made Jones the first starting pitcher in the modern era to throw six perfect innings and lose the game.

Why pulling Jared Jones was still the right decision by the Pirates

As Kelly said postgame, he had little choice but to remove Jones from the game. The Pirates skipper even admitted "it sucks," while Jones said he wasn't thrilled but understood the deicision given his recent injury history.

“Health is the most important thing, winning the game and then personal accomplishments third,” Kelly said after the game. “Wanting guys to stay healthy is the number one thing with these guys, because we need Jared for the rest of the season. Throwing the ball like that, trying to push him right now, when he's only had five ups to go, there's no way.”

As for why the Pirates couldn't come away with a victory in a game their starting pitcher threw six perfect innings, that's another question entirely, and one better answered by Ben Cherington. The Pirates executive has a seemingly-impossible task of rebuilding the bullpen from scratch. They failed Jones on Wednesday. Soon, they could be the root cause of another wasted Pirates season.

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