Minor League Baseball

Trio of Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects Make History with Perfect Game

The Greensboro Grasshoppers tossed the first nine-inning perfect game in the minors since 2017 on the July 4 holiday.
Brady Farkas|
A detailed view of a Pittsburgh Pirates hat and glove before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning at Truist Park in 2023.
A detailed view of a Pittsburgh Pirates hat and glove before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning at Truist Park in 2023. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Pittsburgh Pirates

A trio of Pittsburgh Pirates prospects made some special history on the July 4 holiday, tossing a perfect game for the Greensboro Grasshoppers.

Per @MiLB on social media:

GREENSBORO SPINS A PERFECT GAME! @Pirates prospects Khristian Curtis, Jake Shirk + Michael Walsh (@GSOHoppers) spin the first 9-inning perfecto at the affiliate-level since 2017

Greensboro is the High-A affiliate of the Pirates, and they shut out Aberdeen (Orioles) 2-0.

Curtis put together a masterful start on the mound, striking out 10 over six innings. He earned the win, moving to 3-4 with a 4.70 ERA.

Shirk got the hold, striking out four over two innings. Walsh struck out two in earning his fourth save.

Curtis, 23, was a 12th-round pick of the Pirates out of Arizona State. Shirk, also 23, was an 18th-round pick out of Wright State in 2024. He's 6-3 with a 4.31 ERA.

Walsh, 24, played his college ball at Yale. He's 4-1 with a 2.48 ERA.

Curtis is currently ranked as the No. 24 prospect in the organization, per MLB Pipeline.

At the big-league level, the Pirates lost 6-0 on Friday against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Bailey Falter took the loss on the mound, surrendering four earned runs over 5.2 innings. The loss ended Pittsburgh's six-game winning streak and put them at 38-51.

The Pirates and Mariners will play again on Saturday night with first pitch coming at 10:10 p.m. ET. Luis Castillo pitches for Seattle against Mike Burrows.

As for Springer, he's in the fifth year of a six-year deal with the Blue Jays. He's hitting .281 with 15 home runs.

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HEADED to WBC: Marcelo Mayer, who is one of the top prospects in the sport, is set to play for Mexico in the next World Baseball Classic. CLICK HERE:

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is the senior writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and the host of “The Payoff Pitch’’ podcast, which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. Follow Brady on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.

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