The Milwaukee Brewers are pulling off arguably the best season in franchise history, and Freddy Peralta is at the center of it all.
The Brewers ace has put together stunning numbers this year: 15-5 record, 2.68 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 160 strikeouts in 147 2/3 innings pitched (27 starts).
Peralta, who earned his second All-Star berth in July, headlines an excellent Brewers rotation that also features Jacob Misiorowski, Brandon Woodruff, Jose Quintana and former Boston Red Sox right-hander Quinn Priester, whom Milwaukee snagged in what some have called the trade of the year.
Peralta has already accomplished a ton in 2025, but more milestones could be on the way.
On Monday, ESPN’s MLB analysts Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield discussed whether or not Peralta will become the first pitcher since 2023 to tally 20 wins (Atlanta Braves’ Spencer Strider accomplished the feat two seasons ago).
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“With Peralta failing to get win No. 16 on Saturday, he’s looking at an uphill battle,” Doolittle said. “The Milwaukee Brewers might wrap up the top seed early-ish, so they wouldn’t be pushing Peralta during the final week. But let’s say he gets six more starts. He’s earning wins at a rate of .556 per start, so that’s 3.3 over six starts. Not enough! Peralta needs to win five of those last six starts, or all five if he gets only five more chances. I think he’ll get 19 wins. The 20-game winner drought will continue.”
“I’ll say yes,” Schoenfield countered.
“Though we always complain about the lack of 20-game winners, we had one in 2023, one in 2022, one in 2021, two in 2019, two in 2018, three in 2016, two in 2015 and three in 2014. Yes, it’s becoming rarer, but we usually get at least one. So here’s hoping Peralta is the one.”
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A World Series title, of course, would mean more to Peralta than the 20-win mark. Right now, the Brewers are looking like a good candidate to take home the title in October.
Milwaukee entered Monday with an MLB-best 81-50 record.