Freddy Peralta named AL Pitcher of the Month – September 2026

Peralta, 30, went 4-0 with a 0.96 ERA (28.0 IP, 3 ER), 23 strikeouts, nine walks, one home run, a 0.89 WHIP, and two quality starts while holding opponents to a .165/.243/.216 (16-for-97) slash line over five starts in September. He paced AL pitchers in ERA, tied for the league lead in wins, ranked second in opponent slugging percentage, third in opponent batting average, fourth in opponent OPS, sixth in WHIP, and tied for ninth in innings pitched. The Rays won all five of his September starts.

Along with Chris Archer in July 2013, Peralta is the second pitcher in team history to win four games or more with a sub-1.00 ERA and a sub-1.00 WHIP in a calendar month. He was one of four AL pitchers this season to toss 28.0 innings in a month with a sub-1.00 ERA and a sub-1.00 WHIP, joining Toronto 's Dylan Cease (July), Rasmussen (June), and Los Angeles-AL's José Soriano (March/April).

He became one of four Rays pitchers in franchise history to post a sub-0.90 WHIP with 28.0 innings or more across a month in an age-30-or-older season, joining Rasmussen (June 2026 and March/April 2026), Rich Hill (May 2021), and James Shields (September/October 2012 and August 2012). Throughout September, Peralta allowed three extra-base hits (two doubles, one home run), becoming the ninth Rays traditional starter (10x) to make five starts or more in a month and permit three extra-base hits or fewer, and the first since Griffin Jax in May 2026 (5 GS, 1 XBH).