Perez Makes Double-A Debut in Binghamton
EL New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Perez Makes Double-A Debut in Binghamton

Published on August 15, 2025 under Eastern League (EL)
New Hampshire Fisher Cats News Release


The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (16-24, 45-64) and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (28-13, 73-35) play the third game of their six-game set starting at 7:05 PM EDT on Friday night. New Hampshire led 7-2 going into the bottom of the eighth inning on Thursday night before Binghamton rattled off eight unanswered runs and walked off the Cats in the bottom of the 10th inning to take game two, 9-7.

LAST NIGHT

Binghamton was down to their final strike in the bottom of the ninth inning before D'Andre Smith swatted a single to the left-center gap that cashed in two runs and tied the game at 7-7. The Fisher Cats brought the go-ahead run to third with one out in the top of the 10th inning, but failed to convert. Rumble Ponies third baseman Jacob Reimer then crushed the first pitch of the bottom of the 10th inning over the left field wall to walk off the Cats.

The Fisher Cats capitalized on four Rumble Ponies fielding errors and jumped out to a 7-1 lead through the first six innings on Thursday night. One of New Hampshire's seven runs was charged to Binghamton pitching, with the lone earned run being on Jackson Hornung's solo homer in the top of the second inning.

A Binghamton fielding miscue in the top of the first inning led to three consecutive two-out base hits for the Fisher Cats. Eddinson Paulino and Alex De Jesus singled in a run before Dasan Brown picked them up with a double to the left field corner and New Hampshire led, 4-0, after the top of the first.

Brown finished 3-for-3 with two runs driven in, one walk and one sacrifice bunt in his first three-hit effort since August 29, 2024, in Altoona. Brown scored on two Ponies infield errors with Hornung at the plate in the top of the fourth and sixth innings.

New Hampshire starter Alex Amalfi went 2-1/3 innings and notched a new season-high six strikeouts. Six of the seven out Amalfi recorded were punchouts before right-hander Devereaux Harrison took over in the bottom of the third inning. Harrison stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the third and went on to strike out five in 2-2/3 no-hit innings pitched.

Relievers Yondrei Rojas and Kai Peterson each made their Double-A debut out of the Fisher Cats bullpen. Rojas surrendered one run and struck out one in one inning, and Peterson was tagged for two runs on one hit and one strikeout in 2/3 relief frames.

PITCHING MATCHUP

Fernando Perez (0-0, -.-- ERA) will make his first career Double-A start for the Fisher Cats since being called up from High-A Vancouver on August 12. Perez went 6-4 with a 3.05 earned run average across 20 starts for the Canadians. The righty earned Northwest League Pitcher of the Week honors with 13 strikeouts over 11 innings pitched for July 28 to August 3. Native of Rivas, Nicaragua, Perez was scouted while playing baseball on a field that was filled with goats. He signed a free agent deal with Toronto in January of 2022 and is currently ranked the No. 11 prospect in Toronto's system. Two years after signing, Perez represented the Blue Jays in the MLB Future's Game in Arlington, Texas, becoming the second Nicaraguan to play in a Future's Game.

Binghamton's Jonathan Santucci (3-0, 3.33 ERA) gets the start for the Rumble Ponies. The left-hander makes his sixth start with Binghamton since being called up from High-A Brooklyn on July 7. Santucci boasted a 3.46 earned run average across 15 appearances and 13 starts for the Cyclones. He fanned 75 batters and walked 23 over 67-2/3 innings pitched. Through five Double-A starts, Santucci has collected 29 strikeouts to 12 walks and has held opponents to a .159 batting average across his first 24-1/3 innings pitched. Santucci is coming off his second quality start for the Rumble Ponies after allowing two runs on two hits in six innings pitched in Binghamton's 5-2 win over Somerset on August 8. His first quality start was in his Double-A debut, when Santucci struck out eight and surrendered two runs in a six-inning effort against Altoona on July 11. Santucci has completed at least five innings in four of his first five Binghamton starts. The Leominster, Massachusetts native pitched 1-2/3 innings and gave up four runs, one earned, on two hits, three walks and one strikeout in New Hampshire's 11-6 win on July 19. Santucci is in his first season of professional baseball after being drafted by the Mets in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Duke.

THIS DAY IN FISHER CATS HISTORY

August 15, 2004- Designated hitter Victor Valencia hit a two-run homer and Chris Baker allowed three runs over seven innings as the Fisher Cats completed a three-game sweep of the first-place Binghamton Mets, 6-3, at Gill Stadium. John Hattig blasted a three-run homer in the first for a 3-0 lead. Valencia's homer came in the sixth. New Hampshire pulled within a game of first, then swept the Mets the next three nights in Binghamton and did not give up first place the rest of the way en route to the Championship.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Fisher Cats and Rumble Ponies open their weekend slate of games with a doubleheader starting at 1:15 PM EDT on Saturday. New Hampshire righty Grant Rogers (5-6, 3.39 ERA) gets the ball in the first game of Saturday's twin bill, and the Fisher Cats game two starter is to be determined. Binghamton has yet to announce a starter for either game.

Check out the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Statistics

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