Mets' Freddy Peralta Raves About Opening Day Environment at Citi Field

With an 11-7 Opening Day win over the Pirates, the New York Mets season is now off and running.

Getting the ball first to kick it all off was offseason trade acquisition Freddy Peralta, who the Mets are trusting to anchor their rotation as a true number one starter. Peralta was hit around early, allowing a leadoff base hit and a two-run homer to Brandon Lowe to dig an early 2-0 hole.

But after Peralta struck out the next three to end the inning, the Mets' bats picked up their pitcher in a big way. With the help of some defensive miscues, they lit up reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes for five runs in the bottom of the first, batting around the order and chasing him out of the game before he could pick up three outs.

After the game, Peralta spoke about how meaningful it was for his teammates to respond to the early deficit the way they did, telling John Flanigan of SNY that he had asked his guys for run support before his outing.

“It was amazing,” Peralta said. “I asked them earlier today, I said I need some runs from you guys and I was sitting there like damn, this is crazy.”

Freddy Peralta talks about the lift he got from the Mets' offense today:

"I asked them earlier today before the game, 'I need some runs from you guys.' But damn, that's crazy!" 😂 pic.twitter.com/DsVKNZ5BpG
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

The New York lineup continued to put their bat on the ball all afternoon, keeping the pressure off of Peralta during his mixed outing that featured seven strikeouts, six hits, and four earned runs (two HR) across 5.0 innings. With the offensive explosion also came a rowdy Citi Field, something that Peralta said fueled him during his debut.

“The energy from the first pitch to the last one, you can feel it,” he said. “It was amazing, I think personally it’s something that helps me to get better. I can’t wait to see it that same way the rest of the season.”

Peralta, who spent each of his first eight major league seasons in Milwaukee, is no stranger to the big moment. The 29-year-old has accumulated nine postseason appearances with the Brewers (33.1 innings) and holds a 4.32 ERA. This includes two appearances in the NLCS in 2018 and 2025 where he has a combined 8.2 innings and 3.12 ERA.

But on Opening Day in front of a raucous Citi Field, Peralta was able to notice right away that something felt "different."

"The energy from the first pitch to the last one, you can feel it"

Freddy Peralta was asked how it felt pitching in a different uniform today: pic.twitter.com/Rm4yG2pKiJ
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

The Mets and Peralta still have a lot in front of them this season, but seeing the lineup come alive in immediate support for their new ace had to feel promising for a club that so often saw their bats go silent in the biggest moments last year. When asked about what he saw from his team, manager Carlos Mendoza was impressed with how they all responded to adversity.

"That first inning was pretty impressive," he said. "Right out of the gate with Lindor walking... and then just putting pressure [on]."

Mendoza also reflected honestly on Peralta's performance, saying that "other than the two mistakes there to Lowe, I thought he was pretty good... He was able to get through five [innings] on a day where [he had] a couple of missed pitches."

"Other than the two mistakes there to Lowe, I thought he was pretty good"

Carlos Mendoza talks about what he saw from Freddy Peralta today: pic.twitter.com/visLBFZb2V
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 26, 2026

As Mendoza indicated, it says a lot about a pitcher when they are able to bounce back from early mistakes and still go deep in a game when not all their best stuff is there. For Peralta, Thursday's outing was a great example of how much a stellar frontline starter with timely run support behind him can elevate a team past even the best pitchers in baseball.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.