Freddy Peralta: From El Cibao to Milwaukee

by César Augusto Márquez

Freddy Peralta still cannot believe the way his life changed over the last week. The Milwaukee Brewers’ pitching prospect made history in his debut, becoming just the fifth pitcher to strike out at least 13 batters in his debut since 1908.

“I come from a very humble family,” he said. “My parents had never seen me pitch as a professional. They came to see me pitch at Triple-A when they called me up, which coincidentally fell on Mother’s Day. I couldn’t give my mother a better gift.

“It was something very inspiring for me to turn and see my parents, Pedro and Octavia, crying at the stadium. Only God knows all the sacrifices they made so that I could get here.”

Roots in the Cibao

Peralta was born in Moca, a country town in the Cibao region of the Dominican, about 70 miles from the capital of Santo Domingo. He’s the fifth big leaguer born in this province.

Peralta, who has two brothers, appreciates the effort his father made to help him and his brother Luis David, who plays in the Pirates’ farm system.

“My father made sure that we never missed a meal on our table,” he said. “But on occasions he had to make some sacrifices because there were times when we didn’t even have enough for the fare from my house to the baseball field where I practiced.

“We always found a way. If we didn’t have the funds one day my father would seek help, and a neighbor would take us. The important thing is that we had values. Those are the tools that have helped me on my road to the big leagues, especially when I first arrived in the United States, which is one of the most difficult things for Latino ballplayers.”

Pitching Like A Veteran

On May 13 while Peralta delivered strikeouts like a veteran, the television cameras focused on his father, who was clearly struggling to control his emotions as he shed tears of joy.

“I cannot believe this,” Pedro Peralta said. “I think we’re living a dream. Freddy’s agent, Yasser Mendez, helped us get here. He sat with us. At that moment we were going to see him pitch at Triple-A. He had warmed up to start that day, but another pitcher came out.
“A half an hour later Freddy called to tell us he had been called up to the majors. The reason I’m so emotional is because there were times when I didn’t buy myself things that I needed because I wanted my sons to have uniforms for games and practices, cleats and gloves. He sees those shoes and gloves now and laughs, but I tell him that those were the ones we could afford at the time. Thank God I had the support of my brothers, who helped me a lot. All those sacrifices were worth it.”

Freddy Peralta remembers clearly the moment when he decided to become a big leaguer and convinced his father to let him chase that dream.

“I was 10 when my dad saw me pitch,” he said. “I threw a complete game that afternoon and struck out 10 batters, and my dad knew that this was a serious situation.”

Dreaming Big

Watching his son dominate a team of boys two years older, Pedro knew that he and his wife needed to do everything they could to help him chase his big league dream.

With that memory playing on a loop during his son’s big league debut, Pedro Peralta let the tears of joy and pride flow freely.
“It was very emotional to see him pitch the way he did,” Pedro Peralta said. “It wasn’t surprising to see him pitch like a veteran because he’s been used to facing older players since he was little.”

The Peraltas had quite a week in the big leagues. The family started the week with Freddy Peralta’s victorious debut on Mother’s Day and he was again on the pitcher’s mound for his father’s birthday on Saturday. Things didn’t go as well for his second start, a no-decision where he pitched just four innings walking six and striking five.

The Brewers sent the highly-rated pitching prospect back to the minors after his second start. The journey thus continues for the 21-year-old Dominican. But Freddy Peralta has a good example to follow in his father’s sacrifice as he attempts to get back to the major soon.

Featured Image: Hannah Foslien / Getty Images Sport