The younger brother of pitcher Pascual and older brother of Carlos Perez, Melido was a top American League rookie in 1988. Signed in 1983 by the Kansas City Royals, the spidery Dominican impressed the Chicago White Sox by winning his major-league debut against them on September 4, 1987. That December, Chicago shipped the disappointing, high-salaried Floyd Bannister to the Royals for Perez and three other prospects.
Inserted into the rotation in 1988 and brandishing a split-fingered fastball, Perez became the first White Sox rookie to win in double digits since 1980, as he went a respectable 11-10 on the year. On July 12, 1990, Melido threw six no-hit innings against the New York Yankees before the game was stopped because of rain. Rule changes in later years removed his effort from the record books because it did not last a full nine innings. Until that point, he and Pascual, who had also tossed a rain-shortened no-no, had joined Ken Forsch and Bob Forsch as the only brothers to both hurl no-hitters.
Melido joined the Yankees in 1992, the year after his brother left the team, and baseball altogether. Perez himself retired three years later after failing to win a spot in Joe Torre’s starting rotation.
