To say that the 2026 MLB season has been trying for Freddy Peralta would be a major understatement. After all, the New York Mets acquired him with the expectation that he'll help front their starting rotation. Instead, he struggled to the tune of a 4.99 ERA with the Mets, and he eventually landed on the Tampa Bay Rays via a trade at the deadline.
Peralta could not have asked for a better landing spot. The Rays helped him fix whatever was ailing him, and he proceeded to put up an ERA of 3.25 for the rest of the regular season. And he just keeps on getting better with each passing game in a Rays uniform. He had his magical postseason moment on Tuesday in Game 2 of the ALCS, as he pitched six shutout innings in a 3-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians to even up the series.
What made this start from Peralta all the more promising was that he reached 99.4 mph with his fastball, which is a major surge from the 94.4 mph he averaged on his four-seamer in the regular season. And as Rays manager Kevin Cash said, there's no reason for him to not be this confident when he's pitching with this much gas.
“I define myself as a competitor. I like this kind of games. I always say in the past that I enjoy this. As a Dominican pitcher, I grew up watching the games in New York and that's the game you see. I get used to that because I grew up watching it. I feel like I have that in me, in myself. And that's the way that I feel when I am on the mound in this kind of games,” Peralta said in his postgame presser, via Ryan Bass of MLB TV.
Article Continues BelowFreddy Peralta on reaching 99.4 mph on the fastball, the highest velocity of his career, and pitching in games that bring out this kind of adrenaline: “I feel like I have that in me.” pic.twitter.com/cWtDiDFlIr
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) October 14, 2026
Peralta, in each of his last eight starts, has not allowed more than an earned run. Suffice to say, he has found his rhythm, and at the most opportune time as well, as the Rays inch closer and closer to their ultimate goal.