Freddy Peralta says the spotlight in New York never weighed on him, even if the results with the Mets never really clicked.
Before Tuesday’s matchup at Tropicana Field, the Rays right-hander was asked on Monday whether the pressure of pitching for a New York club had anything to do with his rough stretch in Queens. Peralta brushed that off.
"I don’t see pressure," Peralta insisted, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. "It’s a way bigger market, and there’s a lot more fans, people there, and everybody is paid to win for every day. I enjoyed those kinds of moments when I was in New York, but I don’t see it as pressure."
The numbers tell a tougher story. In 22 starts and 113.2 innings with the Mets, Peralta went 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Since arriving in Tampa Bay, he has a 5.60 ERA in five starts.
"It was the first time I struggled like that, but I never gave up," the two-time All-Star said about his Mets stint. "I was always trying to find a way to feel better, to pitch better and I knew what I can do and I was feeling good physically too and healthy, but I couldn’t make the adjustment. But the good thing is now that I feel different, I am ready to keep going to the World Series, hopefully."
Peralta also said the short stay left him with real relationships in New York, even if the baseball side never matched expectations.
"I made good friends there, really good friends," Peralta said about being with the Mets, per Alex Smith of SNY. "People there, they took care of me really well. For me, that’s a little sad."
The trade also sent him to a very different place in the standings. The Mets finished Monday with a 62-76 record and no realistic path to the playoffs, while Tampa Bay entered Tuesday at 82-55 and in first place in the overall American League standings.
Peralta said that mattered to him.
"I felt good because I was going to a team that was playing really well, in first place, competing all the time," Peralta added about the trade. "I love the stadium here, too.
When the season started, I wasn’t expecting to be traded because I was going to a whole new team. I thought I would be there the whole year, at least.
But in time it wasn’t a secret I was going to be traded, and I was just hoping to go to a team like this one."
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