SI:AM | Rays Even Series Behind ‘Fastball Freddy’

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I’m a little surprised that Dave Roberts won’t bench Shohei Ohtani after publicly floating the idea. Acknowledging the issue seemed to lay the groundwork for the move.

In today’s SI:AM:
⚾ Rays bounce back
🏀 WNBA arena drama
🏈 2027 QB rankings

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All square going to Cleveland

When the Rays traded for Freddy Peralta earlier this year, it was with moments like this in mind.

Peralta pitched six scoreless innings last night as the Rays won Game 2 of the ALCS, 3–1, to level the series at 1–1. He allowed four hits, struck out six and issued two walks. And he did it by throwing almost exclusively four-seam fastballs. Of the 99 pitches he threw, 71 were fastballs.

Peralta has long been known as “Fastball Freddy”—a nickname he earned not because he throws exceptionally hard, but because he leans heavily on his four-seamer. Of the 127 pitchers who have thrown at least 10,000 total pitches since 2018 (Peralta’s rookie year), he ranks second in four-seam fastball usage at 57.1%. Only Reynaldo López of the Braves has thrown more heaters.

But Peralta has turned into even more of a fastball pitcher in these playoffs. In his first postseason start, Game 2 of the ALDS against the Yankees, he threw 65% fastballs. Last night, it was up to 72%, his highest single-game fastball usage rate since 2019. He even ratcheted his velocity up a notch. He threw 29 pitches at or above 97 mph, the most in any start in his career. His first-pitch fastball (99.4 mph) to Jo Adell with two outs in the fifth was the fastest pitch he’s ever thrown.

The Rays have a reputation for making tweaks to get the most out of their pitchers, and Peralta is just the latest example. He struggled in the first half of the season with the Mets but has turned things around since the trade to Tampa Bay. He had an ERA of nearly five in New York, but the Rays have found a way to increase his fastball velocity and instructed him to use his best pitch more often. As a result, he’s moved the Rays one step closer to their first championship.

WNBA avoids embarrassing schedule mess… for now

Atlanta Dream players huddle — The Dream are in the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The WNBA just avoided a potential disaster.

The WNBA Finals are set to begin on Saturday in San Francisco, with the Valkyries taking on the Dream. Games 1 and 2 will be played at the Chase Center, the state-of-the-art 18,000-seat arena that the Valkyries share with the Warriors. But the league was facing a real dilemma for Games 3 and 4 in Atlanta. State Farm Arena, the Dream’s part-time home and Atlanta’s largest arena, was booked for both dates, so it appeared at first as though the Finals would be relegated to the 3,500-seat Gateway Center Arena.

Fortunately, that won’t be happening. The WNBA announced yesterday that it has adjusted the Finals schedule to allow the Dream to play at State Farm Arena. Game 3, originally scheduled for Oct. 22 (the same night musician Sombr is set to perform at the arena), will instead be played on Oct. 21, and Game 4 will be played at 1 p.m. ET on Oct. 24 instead of its original time of 3:30 p.m. The Hawks have their home opener later that night and have moved the tipoff back by a half hour to accommodate the Finals game.

WNBA officials can breathe a sigh of relief that the league’s marquee event won’t be broadcast to a national audience from a rinky-dink gym near the airport, but the issue isn’t fully resolved. If the series goes to a sixth game, arena availability will again be a major issue. Game 6 would be on Oct. 29, the same night the Hawks are scheduled to host the Cavaliers at State Farm.

The Dream split their games between State Farm and Gateway Center this season but will move full-time to the larger arena next season, which should make it easier to avoid situations like this in the future. If the series goes to a sixth game, though, the WNBA will have to get creative. One option would be to play at the 8,600-seat McCamish Pavilion on the campus of Georgia Tech. Another would be the 13,000-seat Gas South Arena 30 miles northeast of downtown in Duluth, Georgia. The Dream played a game there the last time they were in the Finals, back in 2013. The backup options aren’t great, but they’re better than potentially crowning a champion in a gym that’s usually used for G League games.

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Shohei Ohtani after striking out — Shohei Ohtani will be in the lineup for Game 3 of the NLCS despite his ongoing slump. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Karl Rasmussen: Freddy Peralta Is MLB’s Hottest Pitcher, and That’s Great News for the Rays

The top five…

Connor McDavid scores a goal — Connor McDavid had a goal and three assists in the Oilers’ 4–1 win. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

… things I saw last night:
5. Lizbeth Ovalle’s beautiful free kick goal for Mexico in a friendly against Jamaica. (It’s still not the best goal of her career, though. She scored an all-timer last year.)
4. Some brilliant passing by the Mammoth for their second goal against the Maple Leafs. Utah won, 5–4, and is off to a 5-2-0 start, the best record in the Central Division.
3. This nifty trick play that Delaware ran for a touchdown against Middle Tennessee.
2. Junior Caminero’s quick reaction to catch a line drive while drawn in to protect against the bunt. I loved his finger-wag celebration, too.
1. An amazing play by Connor McDavid to split the double team and score.

📺 What we’re watching today …

MLB

Brewers at Dodgers, 8 p.m. ET, FS1
The NLCS series moves to Los Angeles, where the Dodgers turn to starter Blake Snell (2.19 ERA in five starts at Dodger Stadium in 2026) to help keep three-peat hopes alive.

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