Former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Thomas Pannone threw a historic nine-inning solo perfect game for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, a Milwaukee Brewers affiliate, defeating the Durham Bulls 3-0 on September 7, 2026. This rare feat marked the minor leagues’ first single-pitcher nine-inning perfecto since 2017.
Fantasy & Market Impact
- Milestone Rarity: Highlights the extreme scarcity of individual pitching dominance across modern minor league baseball, where pitch counts and multi-man bullpen games are standard.
Perfection on 94 Pitches in Nashville
It took Thomas Pannone all of 94 pitches to accomplish something the minor leagues haven’t witnessed in nearly a decade. Pitching for the Nashville Sounds on a Monday night, the veteran southpaw went the distance against the Tampa Bay Rays’ Triple-A affiliate, the Durham Bulls, locking down a 3-0 victory.
https://x.com/MLBPipeline/status/2097104058444365873
According to MLB Pipeline reporting highlighted by The New York Times, Pannone struck out eight batters en route to logging the minors’ first nine-inning single-pitcher perfecto since 2017. The effort stands as just the fifth perfect game in International League history and the first since 2011.
While the minor leagues have seen several perfect games in recent seasons, those instances involved combined bullpen efforts or shortened games lasting eight innings or fewer. Pannone represents the first full nine-inning solo venture since Tyler Mahle, Domenic Mazza, and Connor Grey accomplished the feat in 2017 across their respective organizations.
The Long Road from Toronto to Nashville
Pannone’s baseball journey has been anything but linear. Selected in the ninth round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of the College of Southern Nevada, he bounced around the minors and served a performance-enhancing drug suspension before finally making his big-league debut in 2018 with the Toronto Blue Jays.
| Team | Season | Appearances (Starts) | Innings Pitched | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Blue Jays | 2018 | 12 (6) | 43.0 | 4.19 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 2019 | 37 (7) | 73.0 | 6.16 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 2023 | 1 (0) | 1.0 | 0.00 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 2024 | 1 (0) | 1.0 | 9.00 |
His initial stint in Toronto proved brief, as he managed 43 innings across 12 games in 2018. He carved out a longer runway in 2019, appearing in 37 games with seven starts, carding a 6.16 ERA over 73 innings.
After lingering in the minor league ranks, Pannone took his talents abroad to pitch in the Korean Baseball Organization during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He eventually worked his way back to a major league mound with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023 for a single appearance, followed by another lone appearance this season.
Front-Office Reality and Historical Footprint
At 32 years old, with the Milwaukee Brewers’ major-league pitching corps largely accounted for down the stretch, Pannone faces long odds of earning a significant late-season call-up.
For one flawless September night in Tennessee, a well-traveled veteran wrote his name into the record books alongside the rarest pitching achievements in modern professional baseball.
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