Freddy Peralta hopes to follow in Drew Rasmussen's footsteps in Game 2 of ALDS

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Minutes after watching teammate Drew Rasmussen win a 1-0 thriller over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday night, Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Freddy Peralta was informed that he was pitching Game 2 of the series on Monday. 

It will mark the second time Peralta will face New York this season. The last time he saw them was on May 17 as a member of the New York Mets. It was the Subway Series, and Peralta was not at his best, allowing three runs in five innings during a 7-6 victory in 10 innings. 

After that outing, it was rough going during his next 12 starts with the Mets, allowing 43 earned runs in 59 ⅓ innings (6.52 ERA). Then, on Aug. 2, New York traded Peralta to the Rays for Minor Leaguers Gary Gill Hill, Émilien Pitre and Aidan Smith. 

Peralta found new life in Tampa, winning five games with a respectable 3.25 ERA. He capped off the regular season by winning the American League Pitcher of the Month for September, allowing three runs in 28 innings.     

What turned Peralta’s season around after he joined the Rays? He credits pitching coach Kyle Tyler for giving him sound advice the moment he arrived in Tampa. 

“(I credit) Kyle because of the information and the way he communicated to me. It was the right way to do it,” Peralta recalled to reporters. “(He said) to trust myself and forget about the past. It was a new beginning when I got here.”

Kevin Cash has high praise for Freddy Peralta

Manager Kevin Cash said Peralta, himself, should get all the credit for his success with the Rays.  

“I personally feel that's being a little bit overtalked about,” the skipper told reporters. “I don't want anybody to lose sight that Freddy Peralta has been an elite pitcher for a long time. I know he had three months that he'd like to have back from his time with the Mets. I give Freddy all the credit in the world for coming here, being super positive, high energy and open-minded.” 

Peralta’s outing on Monday will follow Rasmussen's gem, an outing in which he pitched eight shutout innings and held New York hitless for 7 ⅔ frames. 

“Obviously, what I'm going to take from (Rasmussen) is … he was attacking the hitters, … using the put-away (pitches),” Peralta said. “Obviously, (the Yankees) are great. They have a great lineup, and it's a lot of credit to (catcher) Liam (Hicks) and Drew because they were able to navigate through the lineup and make a lot of weak contact and he got a lot of strikeouts, too.”   

Peralta is a veteran of the postseason.  All of his October innings came with the Brewers. In nine outings, he is 1-3 with a 4.32 ERA. He said playing in the postseason is a special opportunity, but playing fall ball for the Rays will be different. 

“(It will be) very special because since I got here, I felt something I was looking for, which is the energy, the way that the boys play the game,” Peralta said. “... When I talk about the defense, they are amazing. The way they come onto the field, the way they take their at-bats, too, when I talk about the offense -- it's amazing, and we just need to keep it that way. Simple.”

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.