Hurricanes opener Short made the most of a number of reprieves to register an unbeaten 70-ball 103 that included three fours and seven maximums, taking his tally for the season to 248.
Despite the Australia international's efforts, the Scorchers still looked capable of chasing down the 181 they needed for victory against Hobart (180-2).
A 75-run partnership between Mitchell Marsh (48) and Cameron Green (33) gave them hope, but Perth (172-8) lost momentum when the former holed out to midwicket off Thomas Rogers and they were consigned to a fourth loss of the season.
D'ARCY DOESN'T FALL SHORT
There were plenty of moments when it looked like Short, the leading run scorer in the previous two editions of the BBL, would not get to triple figures.
The opener was dropped on 21 and 68 when Tim David twice showed a lack of judgement in the field, while Jhye Richardson (twice) and Liam Livingstone put down more difficult chances to get him out.
Short needed three runs off the final delivery to bring up his century and he did it by ramping a Chris Jordan yorker onto the ropes for six.
BOLAND MAKES HIS MARK
The Hurricanes took 76 runs from the final five overs of their innings, but their total was by no means unreachable for the Scorchers.
However, Perth were in trouble when they slipped to 18-3 after 2.3 overs. Scott Boland (2-29) drew an edge that had Cameron Bancroft caught behind for a duck and on the next ball his fingertip deflection sent Marsh's drive down the ground onto the non-striker's stumps to run out Josh Inglis.
MARSH GIVES PERTH HOPE
Marsh and Green steadied the ship for the Scorchers after the early inroads made by the Hurricanes, who saw Riley Meredith (side strain) and David Miller (calf) leave the field for treatment and not return.
McDermott missed a great chance to break their partnership when he failed to hold on after Marsh gloved Rogers down the leg side, but Nathan Ellis trapped Green lbw in the next over.
Marsh went on to rack up five fours and a six before a tremendous catch from Caleb Jewell ended his knock and the Scorchers finished on 172-8.
All-rounder Short had never previously claimed four wickets in a Twenty20 match, but he went one better with figures of 5-21 to make up for a duck with the bat.
Captain Matthew Wade (56) and Mac Wright (64) struck half-centuries to get the Hurricanes up to 185-6 at Blundstone Arena.
The Thunder were always struggling after Short got rid of the in-form Alex Hales for 63, and a dismal collapse saw them collapse to 128 all out all out midway through the 18th over.
Victory for Hobart moves them above the Thunder into fifth spot on net run-rate, with both sides having one match of the regular season remaining. Brisbane Heat are one point behind them with two to play.
SKIPPER WADES IN AS D'ARCY FALLS SHORT
It did not seem it would be Short's day on his return to the side when he was dismissed by Arjun Nair (2-19) from the second delivery he faced, but fellow opener Wade and Wright made amends.
A second-wicket partnership of 97 lifted Hobart but was broken in frustrating fashion, Wade, with eight boundaries from 34 balls, caught behind off the excellent Daniels Sams.
The same combination of Sams and wicketkeeper Jay Lenton accounted for Wright, too, although only after he had dished out some further damage.
Sams ended with 4-34, but George Bailey's 29 off 10 helped ensure Hurricanes put an imposing total on the board.
THUNDEROUS HALES STRETCH INSPIRES
Sydney were always struggling to reach their target, but Hales gave them hope in the sixth over, blasting three straight sixes and a four to end to the powerplay on a competitive 55-0.
Hales stuck around for a time, but the boundaries were not so easy to find.
The opener went in the 13th over as Short claimed his first wicket of the evening, leaving Thunder on 100-3 and in need of something special.
SHORT ROARS BACK TO STUN SYDNEY
Instead Short tore through Sydney's middle order. Chris Morris was trapped lbw later in the same over, before Wright had his revenge for Lenton's earlier work with a diving catch.
Short checked Alex Ross' (36) briefly explosive knock, too, and had his five-for three balls later - fittingly seeing the back of Nair.
Thunder ultimately fell short in dismal fashion, consecutive balls seeing Gurinder Sandhu bowled and Liam Bowe ran out by Wright.
