Ex-Met Freddy Peralta had an up-and-down 2026 season, but when it’s mattered the most, he’s delivered.
In Game 2 of the ALCS on Tuesday, the Rays pitcher tossed six scoreless innings to help Tampa Bay even up the series with the Guardians at a game apiece.
His former employer, Mets owner Steve Cohen, was in attendance at Tropicana Field to see the former Met take the mound — a fact that surprised Peralta.
“Oh, I had no idea,” Peralta admitted postgame. “I don’t know if he came to watch just the game or maybe me too, but what I can say is that we have a good relationship and when he traded for me [in January] he texted me, we spoke, also when we were in spring training we had really good communication. … I think that he’s awesome. I’m happy that he was here.”
Peralta was sent to the Mets in a trade with the Brewers on Jan 21. In 22 starts in Queens, he went 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA, far from what the Mets had hoped Peralta would bring.
Upon arriving in Tampa via trade deadline deal in August, Peralta found his groove, posting a 5-2 record with a 3.25 ERA during his regular season stint.
Across 10.2 innings of work thus far in the 2026 postseason, Peralta has given up just one run.
The Mets couldn’t get the best out of Peralta, but he’s recorded two solid playoff starts for the Rays, signaling that Peralta could be the newest of the list of success stories for pitchers in Tampa Bay.
