TROPICANA FIELD (St. Petersburg, Fla.) – After their first loss of the postseason, the Rays were in the throes of their first real taste of October adversity. They had to find a way to stop the bleeding and prevent the ALCS against the Guardians from getting out of hand.
Above all, they needed a cork. A few months ago, no one could have imagined that veteran right-hander Freddy Peralta would be the answer.
(Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Peralta, the Tampa-Bay transplant who relies on his fastball, was spectacular in the Rays’ 3-1 win against Cleveland on Tuesday night at Tropicana FIeld. He went six scoreless innings — the longest start of his career in the playoffs — and threw the fastest pitch of his career with a 99.4 mph fastball to Guardians right fielder Jo Adell in the fifth inning of his electric outing. With Peralta setting the tone, the Rays evened the series at one game apiece.
“It’s no secret,” Peralta said, “that I’m a big believer in my fastball, and it’s my best pitch.”
Peralta chased the strike zone with high heat all night, which messed up the Guardians lineup over and over again. It was somewhat surprising that the Guardians couldn’t do anything against Peralta’s character, because the team clearly advertised his greater strength by throwing “Fastball Freddy” graphics all over Tropicana Field before and during his exit.
(Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The Guardians knew it was coming, and they still couldn’t hit it. Peralta’s confidence grew every time he gathered a wind with his invincible weapon.
“I thought his fastball was really good tonight,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “It was really good. And he was hitting that top rail. We talked about needing to get it down, but he was putting it right up there, right on the top rail. And when he does that with the good pass and the reverse stretch, he’s going to be tough. And he made enough changeups and curveballs to keep us a really good game on Freddy’s night.
Peralta’s lights-out performance on Tuesday night was the culmination of a lot of hard work from both the right-hander and the Rays organization since he joined the club in the summer. With the way the ball was slipping out of his hand and blacking out against Cleveland, it was easy to forget that this has actually been an emotional roller coaster of a season for Peralta.
He had a miserable first half with the Mets, posting a career-worst 4.99 ERA in 22 starts in New York. That experience was very difficult for Peralta and his family because he had been used to success throughout his career. In 2025, Peralta finished fifth in the National League Cy Young voting as he recorded a 2.70 ERA and led the league with 17 wins. He earned a reputation as one of the game’s most elite active pitchers when the Mets traded for him last offseason.
“It was the first time I was fighting like that,” Peralta said of his time as a Met. “And also in New York, an organization that traded for me, an organization that trusted me and I wasn’t able to give my best. It was a little disappointing for me. I didn’t feel good about it.
“But when I showed up here, it just felt different. For some reason I got here and felt like myself again.”
(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
After starting his Rays tenure with a seven game shutout against the Rockies, the Rays coaching staff went to work. They helped Peralta fine-tune his mechanics, drop his lockout, and throw exclusively from the stretch. Removing his wrap allowed righties to get to the mound quicker, which freed up “Fastball Freddy” to use his favorite weapon with ease.
The mechanics have been repeatable, but above all, they have been simple. Peralta credits Rays hitting coach Kyle Snyder, hitting coach Jorge Moncada and catcher Charlie Valerio with being in the trenches with him since he joined Tampa Bay in August. They gave him a plan, a plan that didn’t overwhelm him with too much information, and he followed it. The Rays wanted Peralta to focus on regaining confidence in his fastball and throwing more changeups. Ever the team player, ready to follow orders, Peralta went to work.
(Photo by Ray Bahner/MLB Pictures via Getty Images)
He won American League Pitcher of the Month for September after posting a 0.96 ERA in five elite starts. Less than two months after joining the Rays, Peralta returned.
“I don’t think we ever expected, ‘Hey, we’re going to sign a guy and he’s going to win Pitcher of the Month three weeks later,'” Cash said. “We were very lucky to get him.
“The type of teammate, it feels like he’s been here for four or five years, the way he carries himself, the way he interacts. The pitching and the numbers he’s put up speak for themselves.”
Peralta is praised for being a great teammate wherever he goes, largely due to his infectiously positive outlook on life. When he’s not on the mound, he’s always smiling. When he was with the Mets, he hosted team meetings and organized outings. When he was with the Brewers, he hosted barbecues at his house. Now, in a matter of weeks, Rays players have connected with Peralta in what has been a smooth transition to his third team in 13 months.
This winter, Peralta could move to fourth.
(Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
The 30-year-old will enter free agency this offseason, and the Rays have helped land him a big payday. Peralta is making just $8 million this season in the final year of his previous contract. Next year’s market, especially for free-agent starters, is particularly thin. With the way Peralta bounced back this year, and the way he’s performing in the postseason, he should generate a lot of interest around the league.
Perhaps, even a reunion with the Mets is on the table.
“I had no idea,” Peralta said when asked if he was aware that Mets owner Steven Cohen was in attendance at Tropicana Field on Tuesday. “I don’t even know what to say because I don’t know if he just came to watch the game or maybe me too. What I can say is that we have a good relationship. When he traded for me, he texted me. We talked. Also, when we were in spring training, we had really good communication. He talked to me when I was traded to the Rays.
“I think he’s great. And I’m glad he was here watching, not watching me, watching the Rays.”
