ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Freddy Peralta rode his fastball to the American League Championship Series MVP award.
Acquired by the Rays from the New York Mets before the trade deadline, Peralta turned around his season in Tampa Bay and helped his new team win its third AL pennant. Peralta was 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA in three appearances, including two starts, in the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians.
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Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta watches a pop up against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning in Game 6 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in St. Petersburg, Fla. Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta celebrates a strike out against the Cleveland Guardians during the third inning in Game 6 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in St. Petersburg, Fla. Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta throws against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning in Game 6 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in St. Petersburg, Fla. Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta celebrates the end of the top of the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in St. Petersburg, Fla. Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
“This is crazy," Peralta said. “I’m very happy to be here, to be part of this great group and this organization.”
When Rays manager Kevin Cash announced the ALCS MVP winner on the postgame stage at Tropicana Field, he said: “Fastball Freddy.”
Peralta relied on his overpowering four-seamer throughout the series. He gave up one run and five hits over 5 1/3 innings Monday night in a 7-3 win. The two-time All-Star tossed six scoreless innings in Game 2 and got two important outs in relief in Game 4.
Now, Peralta gets to face his first team in the World Series. The right-hander spent eight seasons in Milwaukee, going 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA last year. But he is eligible for free agency this fall, so the Brewers traded him to the Mets in January.
“Milwaukee is always going to be in my heart, but it’s time to compete,” Peralta said. “I’m grateful to be here and excited to go home.”
Peralta went 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts for New York before coming to Tampa Bay in an Aug. 2 trade. He was 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts for the Rays and was selected the AL pitcher of the month for September.
“When I got here, everything changed," Peralta said. “I remember when I (got) to the clubhouse, we were in Colorado playing against the Rockies, and as soon as I stepped in the dugout in the first inning, I felt the vibes. I felt something different. And I think that’s why we’re here now."
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Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta watches a pop up against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning in Game 6 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in St. Petersburg, Fla. Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta celebrates a strike out against the Cleveland Guardians during the third inning in Game 6 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in St. Petersburg, Fla. Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta throws against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning in Game 6 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in St. Petersburg, Fla. Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta celebrates the end of the top of the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in St. Petersburg, Fla. Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Canada awaited results Tuesday from a referendum that could put oil-rich Alberta on a path toward independence, testing Prime Minister Mark Carney’s push for unity amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and annexation threats.
Results were delayed after late openings forced more than 100 polling stations to extend voting hours Monday. More than 1.35 million Albertans, or 43% of eligible voters, cast advance or special ballots.
The vote was not a direct referendum on independence. Albertans were deciding whether to remain in Canada or begin a legal process that could lead to a second vote on separation.
Alberta, home to the world’s fourth-largest proven oil reserves, is cowboy country and a conservative stronghold whose political culture has long had more in common with the American West than much of Canada. Resentment toward Ottawa runs deep, but has not traditionally translated into widespread support for independence.
Dustin Degenhardt, a Wainwright voter, said Albertans have long been mistreated by Ottawa.
“Alberta has essentially been treated as, you know, a colony,” he said after voting Monday. “They want to take and take and take from us and not return anything.”
Taylor MacIsaac, another Wainwright voter, backed separation.
“I think it’ll be good for Alberta to separate personally, as a very conservative individual that grew up in rural Alberta,” she said.
Dave Malka, 59, of Edmonton, criticized spending money on a “referendum on a referendum” rather than health care.
With Trump threatening Canada, Malka said, “It seems to be happening at the absolute worst time when we should be united; instead we’re fighting among ourselves.”
Jake Graham, 35, of Calgary, attended a Carney rally wearing maple leaf pants and a Canada hockey jacket. He hopes the vote ends the debate.
“I hope this squashes this for a long time to come and that it’s clear and decisive, that these grumblings disappear for a while and we can be a united Canada,” he said.
Even if the proposal fails, separatist leaders say they have turned a fringe cause into a movement that will not disappear.
Carney earlier urged Albertans to deliver a decisive vote for unity. “Vote like Canada’s future depends on it because it does,” he told a rally Friday in Edmonton, where he grew up.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the referendum amid pressure from separatists within her governing United Conservative Party, even though she opposes independence. She cited a poll showing just 22% support for separation, a figure she said was still too high.
Separatist parties traditionally attracted only 1% or 2% of the vote, former Premier Jason Kenney said. Anger over COVID-19 restrictions helped mobilize activists who later embraced the separatist movement, he said.
Trump’s trade war and threats to make Canada the 51st U.S. state have helped Carney rally support in Alberta, where Liberal prime ministers have historically been unpopular.
Separatist advocate Jeff Rath said he would be thrilled if 30% of Albertans voted to begin the separation process. He wants Smith ousted as leader of her governing United Conservative Party and said the party could splinter, potentially creating a new pro-independence party.
Associated Press Writer Ty ONeil contributed to this report from Wainwright, Alberta.
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney signs an autograph as he attends a national unity rally in Red Deer, Alberta, Friday Oct. 16, 2026. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Jeff Rath, Calgary-based constitutional and Indigenous rights lawyer and co-founder of the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) speaks with Le Canal Nouvelles (LCN) at the Alberta Prosperity Project referendum watch party in Edmonton, Alberta Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Political signs are posted on a property's fence in Wainwright, Alberta, Canada, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty O'Neil)
A voting location in Wainwright, Alberta, is seen on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty O'Neil)
Supporters wait for results at the pro-Canada watch party in Edmonton, Alberta Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (James Maclennan/The Canadian Press via AP)
