Freddy Peralta will take the ball for Tampa Bay in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series on Tuesday night, with the Rays looking for the same October spark he brought to Tropicana Field in the Division Series.
The 30-year-old right-hander held the Yankees to one run over 4 2/3 innings in the Rays’ 5-2 Game 2 victory in the ALDS. Now he gets Cleveland after Drew Rasmussen opened the ALCS for Tampa Bay on Monday.
Quick facts
- Peralta starts Game 2 of the ALCS against Cleveland on Tuesday night.
- He threw 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball against the Yankees in ALDS Game 2.
- His fastball averaged 96.8 mph in that outing, up from 94.3 mph during the regular season.
- Tampa Bay has won nine of Peralta’s 11 starts since acquiring him on Aug. 2.
- Peralta posted a 0.96 ERA over 28 innings in five September starts.
Peralta came out attacking New York with his fastball. He used the pitch 43 times among 66 total deliveries, a 65% rate that exceeded his regular-season fastball usage of 53%.
The heater had more life, too. Its 96.8 mph average gave Peralta a noticeable boost from his 94.3 mph season average, and the right-hander carried that energy from the charged building into his work on the mound.
October was part of the appeal when Peralta joined the Rays from the Mets on Aug. 2. The Moca, Dominican Republic, native had already made nine playoff appearances for the Brewers from 2018 through 2025, and he arrived with the AL East champions positioned for another postseason run.
“It is very special,” Peralta said during the Division Series. “From the moment I got here, I felt what I had been looking for: the energy and the way the guys play. The defense is amazing, the way they come onto the field, and the way they take their at-bats. We have to keep playing that way.”
His stop in New York had not unfolded as planned. Peralta carried a 4.99 ERA through 22 starts with the Mets, but Tampa Bay saw enough in his arsenal to believe a reset could bring out the pitcher it wanted.
That bet has paid off quickly. In 11 Rays starts, Peralta has allowed two earned runs or fewer eight times, while Tampa Bay has gone 9-2 behind him.
Manager Kevin Cash credited the turnaround to a clean slate and a more complete attack. Cash pointed to Peralta’s fastball-changeup pairing, along with his ability to land offspeed pitches early in counts and work deeper into games while putting up scoreless frames.
Tampa Bay will keep its remaining ALCS rotation plans under wraps until closer to each game. That leaves right-handers Nick Martinez and Griffin Jax, plus left-hander Ian Seymour, available in relief for the opener if needed.
If Rasmussen and Peralta provide the club with the kind of innings they delivered against the Yankees, the Rays can preserve their bullpen and consider Martinez, Seymour and Jax for starting assignments later in the series. Martinez started Game 3 in the ALDS, while Tampa Bay continues to keep its options open behind its first two starters.
