Oct 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) throws pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning for game four of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images David Banks-Imagn Images

Brewers' Freddy Peralta Dishes On Dealing With Hostile Cubs Crowd

Originally posted on Milwaukee Brewers on SI
By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Oct 10, 2025 12:55 PM ET

The Milwaukee Brewers were brimming with confidence when they sent ace Freddy Peralta to the mound in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. That confidence evaporated in an instant.

Peralta walked into a hornet's nest, with Chicago Cubs fans on him from the first pitch. "Fre-ddy!" chants rained down on the 17-game winner all throughout the bottom of the first inning, and when he allowed a three-run home runs to left fielder Ian Happ, that crowd went hypersonic.

Postseason baseball is all about momentum, and with a 6-0 win, the Cubs have certainly seized that momentum from the Brewers heading into a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday.

Peralta on pitching at Wrigley Field

After exiting at the end of the fourth inning, Peralta had to sit and watch as the Cubs extended the lead on his bullpen. He took the loss, dropping him to 1-2 in his postseason career, and he now has to depend on his 25 teammates to try and get him more starts this season.

As for the Cubs' rowdy fan base, Peralta insisted he felt comfortable on the mound in the first inning, and that the Chicago hitters simply did a good job.

"I was fine, the whole moment since the first pitch," Peralta said, via MLB.com video. "I just (gave up) a base hit from Nico (Hoerner), and the walk, but then I made three good pitches to Happ, but he was able to hit the fastball.

"After the swing, I can say that it wasn't probably the right pitch, because he was probably looking for it, but I've thrown that pitch to him a lot of times before and I had success."

The Brewers threw Peralta on four days' rest on Thursday, in part to make sure they would have him available for two games in the championship series. They were justified in feeling he gave them the best shot to win Game 4, but now, he's the only arm they realistically can't use on Saturday.

Fortunately, the Brewers won't have to face the full fury of Wrigley on Saturday, as they'll return to the friendly atmosphere of American Family Field. But the Cubs' crowd did its job, and after the Brewers had things well within hand, it's now anyone's series.

This article first appeared on Milwaukee Brewers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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