32-Year-Old Brewers Pitcher Throws First Minor League Perfect Game Since 2017

What if I told you there hasn’t been a perfect game thrown in the Minor Leagues in nearly a decade? Frankly, you would probably believe me because it's one of the most improbable feats in sports.

As if the story wasn’t fun enough, the perfect game came from the arm of 32-year-old journeyman pitcher Thomas Pannone on the Milwaukee Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate Nashville Sounds.

Pannone started his Minor League career in 2013. He moved slowly through the ranks and eventually made his Double-A debut in 2017.

The next season, Pannone earned his shot in the big leagues. He made 12 appearances for the Toronto Blue Jays, posting a 4.19 ERA and striking out 29 batters in 43 innings.

He was a mainstay in the Blue Jays bullpen in 2019, throwing 73 innings and finishing with a disappointing 6.16 ERA.

Pannone then hopped around the league, signing Minor League contracts with the Los Angeles Angels and the Boston Red Sox before landing in Milwaukee’s farm system.

He was very solid in his first stint in Nashville, earning him a late-season call-up in 2023. He pitched in one game, allowing five hits, striking out four, and giving up two earned runs in 2.2 innings pitched before being sent back down.

Pannone was then signed by the Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees in 2024 before landing back with the Brewers before the end of the year.

The pitcher has been stuck in minor league limbo for the last three seasons, making just one appearance in Milwaukee this season.

Knowing his story makes it so much easier to root for the veteran who accomplished a career-defining achievement Monday evening.

Pannone needed just 94 pitches to retire the Durham Bulls 27 batters in order. He struck out eight batters and, perhaps most shocking of all, his fastball topped out at 91 miles per hour during his start.

After retiring the first 26 batters, Pannone found himself down 3-0 in the count. His next pitch was an 86-mile-per-hour meatball right down the middle to keep the at-bat alive. Then a low fastball rolled over the hitter, and the celebration was on.

“Around baseball these days, it’s so much about stuff, so much about velo,” Pannone said. “But I kind of proved that it’s really not. It’s about executing, getting ahead, staying ahead and controlling the counts. If you can change speeds even the littlest bit and command your pitches, I believe that you can have success in this game. Like, I really, truly believe.”

Pannone doesn't know when his next shot in the big leagues will come, but he said he’s perfectly happy playing baseball for a living wherever that may be.

“To keep showing up and keep doing it every time I get the ball, every time I get a chance, it’s pretty cool,” Pannone said. “To do this at 32 years old and be able to say I’ve thrown a perfect game, it’s even just crazy to say out loud.”

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