Freddy Peralta’s road to the World Series has been anything but ordinary, and the matchup waiting for him only adds another layer to the story. After a rough stretch with the New York Mets, a trade to Tampa Bay breathed new life into his season, and now the right-hander heads into a championship series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the team where he built his major league name.
Peralta’s latest work came in the Rays’ pennant-clinching win Monday, when he threw 5 1/3 innings of one-run baseball in a 7-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Tampa Bay took the series 4-2, advanced to its third World Series and set up the kind of full-circle ending that could only come after a season like this one.
The turnaround started after Peralta was dealt to Tampa Bay on Aug. 2.
He had posted a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts for the Mets, but his numbers sharpened down the stretch with the Rays, where he put up a 3.25 ERA over his final 10 regular-season outings. That momentum carried straight into October, when he became a central piece of Tampa Bay’s pitching staff.
Peralta’s ALCS was strong enough to make the award feel earned from every angle. He gave up just one earned run in 12 innings over three appearances, finishing with a 0.75 ERA and nine strikeouts. The performances came in different forms: six scoreless innings in Game 2, two outs out of the bullpen in Game 4, and then the Game 6 start that helped close out the series.
That range mattered. Peralta was not just a starter taking the ball once and calling it a night. He was used in multiple roles during a series the Rays had to fight through after falling behind 2-1.
Now the Brewers are the opponent on the other side of it all. Milwaukee, which gave Peralta the chance to establish himself in the majors, swept the Los Angeles Dodgers to reach the World Series and set up a matchup where both clubs are chasing their first title.
Peralta becomes the latest Rays player to take home ALCS MVP honors, joining Matt Garza in 2008 and Randy Arozarena in 2020. His award reflects how important he was on the mound, but it also underscores just how sharply his season changed after leaving New York.
Game 1 is set for Friday at 8 p.m. ET in Milwaukee. Peralta’s exact role in the series will depend on Tampa Bay’s pitching plans, but the storyline is already clear: a pitcher who found his stride with one club now faces the one that started it all.
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