Rays ace Freddy Peralta hits a major career first in ALCS Game 2 start vs. Guardians appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Tampa Bay Rays ace Freddy Peralta reached a postseason milestone Tuesday night, completing six innings in a playoff start for the first time in his career during the Rays’ 3-1 ALCS Game 2 win over the Cleveland Guardians.
Peralta scattered four hits and two walks while striking out six across 99 pitches at Tropicana Field. The 30-year-old retired Cleveland in order in the sixth and finished his night by striking out Petey Halpin. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo underscored the career first on X, formerly Twitter, noting the flame-throwing right-hander’s recent dominant run.
“Freddy Peralta just completed six innings in a playoff game for the first time in his career. He has an 0.84 ERA in the 2026 postseason and an 0.81 ERA over his last seven starts with the Rays, regular season included.”
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The outing came at a critical time for Tampa Bay after the Rays dropped Game 1 at home. Peralta kept the Guardians scoreless long enough for the offense to capitalize on Jose Ramirez’s fourth-inning error and push across three unearned runs. Liam Hicks delivered the key two-run single.
Peralta also showed increased velocity, reaching 99.4 mph with his fastball, the fastest pitch of his nine-year MLB career. He has allowed one earned run across 10 2/3 postseason innings this October.
Tampa Bay acquired the right-hander from the New York Mets on August 2, 2026, one day before the MLB trade deadline, after he posted a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts. He rebounded with a 5-2 record and 3.25 ERA in 10 regular-season starts for the Rays.
The victory evened the best-of-seven ALCS at 1-1. The series now shifts to Cleveland for Game 3 on Thursday, with the veteran’s breakthrough outing helping the Rays avoid falling into a two-game deficit.
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Related: Liam Hicks ‘super grateful’ Rays acquired him at trade deadline