The present invention relates to an injection molded preform (910) comprising an open ended mouth forming portion (912), an intermediate body forming portion, and a closed base forming portion (922) wherein said preform comprises (1) a blend of (i) PEN copolymer and (ii) PET homopolymer or PET copolymer, such that when said PET and PEN components are physically mixed into a blend, said blend has about 5-70 wt.% PEN copolymer and 30 to 95 wt.% PET homopolymer or copolymer therein, (2) a PEN copolymer, or (3) PEN homopolymer, and said preform having a stretch ratio in the range of 18:1 to 25:1 in order to form a bottle having a volume in the range of 250 ml to 850 ml, wherein the stretch index is below 130 cm. Alternatively, said preform has a stretch ratio in the range of 18:1 to 20:1 in order to form a bottle having a volume in the range of 250 ml to 1000 ml. The invention further relates to an injection mold defining a cavity corresponding to an injection molded preform of the invention. In addition, the invention relates to a blow-molded container (52) produced from the injection molded plastic preform described above.