In rare moments, you don’t need to speak the same language to form a deep bond over a game. Such is the case with Eury Perez of the Miami Marlins and Colorado’s Troy Johnston. 

The two friends who were once minor league and Marlins teammates will square off on Tuesday at Coors Field as Miami and Colorado continue their four-game series. It’s a meeting that was years in the making prior to a March 28 showdown where Johnston went 1-for-3 against Perez in Miami.

“Even when we were on the same team, even with the intrasquad game, we never faced each other,” Perez said Monday inside the Miami clubhouse through translator Luis Dorante. “This time, I think is going to be a lot of fun.”

The friendship between Johnston and Perez perhaps goes a little deeper than what is often found inside an MLB clubhouse. The duo first met at Low-A in Jupiter, Florida, and continued at High-A in Beloit, Wisconsin, and Double-A Pensacola. It was there that Perez truly put himself on the Miami map, eventually getting the call-up on May 12, 2023, to start for the Marlins. 

That call came while Pensacola was visiting Birmingham, Alabama, and Johnston still smiles when he remembers that moment. 

“I actually was in the room when (Perez) got called up for the big leagues,” Johnston recalled. “I’d never seen a call-up from Double-A. At that point, I hadn’t seen anybody really get called up to the big leagues. Being a part of that and being a part of his journey has just been a lot of fun.” 

The journey hasn’t always been easy for the duo. Tommy John surgery kept Perez off the mound for the entire 2024 season and well into 2025. During his rehab, he crossed paths again with Johnston at Triple-A Jacksonville. While Perez was trying to get back onto the MLB roster, Johnston was trying to finally get there.  

On June 9, 2025, Perez returned from Tommy John surgery. On July 29, Johnston made his MLB debut after 636 minor league games. 

The level of baseball may have changed, but the relationship between the two certainly didn’t. 

“Johnston is one of the guys that truly impressed me throughout my minor league career,” Perez said. “We went through a lot of stuff together and, even though we don’t share the same language and had a language barrier, we were able to have a really good relationship and communicate very well somehow. 

“I still think that he’s a really good player, very talented on and off the field.” 

Johnston said he’s excited about the matchup between the two friends, but also tips his cap to the talent he will face in Perez.

“His height and his extension play very well,” Johnston said of the 6-foot-8 Perez. “I’m interested to see how it’s going to play at Coors, but he has the stuff. He’s got the command, so if we put together good at-bats and do our best, maybe we can scratch a few runs across.” 

And what’s the scouting report Johnston would give on Perez? 

“The mix between his hard fastball and he’s got a good slider and good changeup that he’s developing,” Johnston said. “Other than that, he’s just a bulldog on the mound.” 

So how would the Miami scouting report read for Johnston, who played 44 games for the Marlins last season before the Rockies claimed him off waivers on Nov. 5? 

“I honestly realistically think they’re just going to hit me every time,” Johnston laughed. “I tell them that all the time when I’m facing my friends, I’m like, ‘Just hit me. Get it over with.’ So, if they hit me, don’t be surprised. 

“Other than that, I don’t know what that scouting report looks like. I’ve tried to get my own scouting report on myself. I don’t know sometimes what to throw myself, but they’re going to come up with some plan, some concoction, pitch me backwards, pitch me straight up. They’re going to have something new for me.” 

Miami manager Clayton McCullough, who had Johnston on his roster last year, knows firsthand what Johnston can do at the plate and has seen him bloom since coming to the Rockies. Entering Monday, Johnston ranked sixth in MLB with a .315 batting average, and his 22 doubles are the second-most behind San Francisco’s Rafael Devers, who has 24. 

“Troy’s found a place and he’s gotten a lot of opportunities,” McCullough said. “Troy’s knocked the door down and performed in a way that deserves continued opportunities. I’m happy for Troy, who spent a lot of years in the Marlins organization and was able to get his first taste of the majors with us last year.” 

Those opportunities will continue for Johnston on Tuesday against a friend who shows his love for the game as much as he does. 

“He has such a good sense of humor. He has fun on the field, the same way that I do,” Perez said. “Just being able to play the game with him and compete with him, it has been a lot of fun.”