MILWAUKEE — Freddy Peralta can’t lose. Not since late August, never in these playoffs, and quite possibly regardless of how this World Series turns out.
Oh, in a technical sense, his Tampa Bay Rays may fall short to the Milwaukee Brewers in this, their third World Series appearance in franchise history. Peralta will start Game 3, looking to build on his MVP performance in the American League Championship Series, when he started two games, pitched in three of them and the Rays won 'em all.
Now, this is the Freddy Peralta World Series: Beloved Milwaukee Brewer returns home with his ace status restored.
It has been a wild 10 months for Peralta, beginning with a Januarytrade from Milwaukee to the New York Mets, four months of trying and mystifying
struggles in New York, culminating in another trade, this time, to Tampa Bay.
And then, the rebirth: After posting a career-worst 4.99 ERA as the Mets’ season crashed, the Rays bought low on him, tweaked his stride, his delivery and his intent with his trademark fastball. The result? A 7-0 record with a 0.89 ERA, including playoffs, since Aug. 26.
And now, a sort of homecoming in Milwaukee, a championship on the line.
"Sometimes, you’re in a position where you don’t know where you’re going to end up," says Peralta, the rare star who endures two trades in a calendar year. "And also, the way I was feeling earlier in the year and now is unbelievable.
"I’m just thankful and grateful to be here."
The timing couldn’t be better. Peralta is a free agent after this season, a stressful time for any player but doubly so when his value has been more volatile than a turn-of-the-century dot-com stock.
Is this surge particularly well-timed given his free agent status?
"You said it," he told his questioner, breaking into a wide grin. "I feel like that. But we’ll see what happens. Hopefully, we win. But I believe so. I believe that everything’s going to be better now because of what we have done and I’ve been a big part of this.
"But I wasn’t going to be able to do all this without the help of my teammates."
The Rays will start Peralta in Game 3, allowing him nearly a week of rest after his ALCS MVP performance in Game 6 of that series. He’s also excelled at Tropicana Field, and will avoid whatever emotions that might come with pitching as a visitor in Milwaukee.
Yes, he still has plenty of feelings here. And heck, there was a scenario where he might have pitched on the other side of this World Series matchup, his name linked to trade talks that the Brewers were aiming to reacquire him just months after trading him.
"I saw that, yeah," says Peralta. "I saw that and was surprised and happy, because this was a special place for me."
Special enough to pitch eight seasons after signing a contract extension delaying his trip to free agency and leave an impression on multiple GMs and managers running the Brewers.
"I love that kid, man, I just do," says Brewers manager Pat Murphy. "If you're around him every day, this kid is just joyful. It's just a beautiful spirit that comes to do his job.
"He doesn't look at himself as better than others. He's just a great teammate. You can't be around him for a while and not feel warm."
The feeling is mutual.
"Murphy’s amazing. He’s a fun, fun guy," says Peralta. "But when he’s on the field, during the game, there’s nobody that can talk to him about something else. Because he’s competing.
"He wants to make sure every player gets on the same page. I learned a lot from him. I respect him a lot. And I wish him the best. He was very good for me."
As was Peralta to Milwaukee, where they hope he wins no more games in 2026.
Nothing personal, just business. Peralta’s received a few of those lessons the past year.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: An ace again, Freddy Peralta returns to Milwaukee as World Series enemy
