Freddy Peralta was named the 2026 American League Championship Series MVP after Tampa Bay’s pennant-winning series, according to MLB Español’s October 20 report. MLB credited the Dominican right-hander with a 0.75 ERA and nine strikeouts in 12 innings across three appearances, and traced the late-season turn from a difficult Mets stretch to a far stronger Tampa Bay run after an August 2 trade. The award is a series honor, not a promise about the World Series ahead. But the route to it is specific: innings, strikeouts and a role in moving the Rays through the league championship. MLB’s companion account of Tampa Bay’s Latino contributors placed Peralta beside Yandy Díaz, Junior Caminero, Jonathan Aranda and Joe Martínez, a useful reminder that a postseason team is rarely a one-player story.