Freddy Peralta with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2025. Photo: FanDuel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Freddy Peralta picked the perfect night to be at his best. The Tampa Bay Rays right-hander threw six shutout innings and reached a career-high 99.4 mph with his fastball, leading the Rays to a 3-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. The win evens the best-of-seven series at one game apiece.
Peralta scattered four hits, struck out six and walked two over 99 pitches, leaning on his four-seam fastball for 71 of those pitches — his heaviest fastball usage in a game since 2019. His average fastball velocity of 96.9 mph was well above his season norm, and the sellout crowd of 32,125 chanted his name as he worked.
"It's no secret that I trust in my fastball a lot and it's my best pitch," Peralta said, via the Associated Press.
All three Tampa Bay runs were unearned, coming in the fourth inning off Cleveland rookie starter Parker Messick, a Florida native. After a video review overturned an apparent double play, José Ramírez misplayed Ben Williamson's grounder through his legs, allowing Victor Mesa Jr. to score the game's first run. Catcher Liam Hicks followed with a two-run single to right-center, staking the Rays to a 3-0 lead they would never give up.
Cleveland threatened in the seventh when rookie Chase DeLauter ripped an RBI double to trim the deficit to 3-1, but left-hander Ian Seymour struck out Jo Adell with runners on second and third to escape. Seymour handled a scoreless eighth before All-Star closer Bryan Baker — who led the majors with 41 saves in the regular season — closed out a perfect ninth for his fourth save of the postseason.
The outing continued a remarkable turnaround for Peralta, whom Tampa Bay acquired from the New York Mets at the August trade deadline. He went 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts for the Rays and was named AL Pitcher of the Month for September. Mets owner Steve Cohen was in attendance to watch his former pitcher dominate.
Game 3 is Thursday night in Cleveland, with Rays right-hander Griffin Jax expected to face Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams. Tampa Bay, which swept the New York Yankees in the Division Series, is seeking its third World Series appearance.
In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers carry a 2-0 series lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers into Game 3 on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. Milwaukee won Game 2 by 7-4 on Monday behind William Contreras' three hits and three RBIs, with its bullpen retiring the final 15 Dodgers batters.