Freddy Peralta Debuts as Mets Pumble Cardinals

Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images

February 27, 2026

Mets 14, Cardinals 3

Righty Freddy Peralta made his much anticipated New York Mets debut against the St. Louis Cardinals in a spring training matchup at Clover Park Friday. The Mets acquired Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers to add star power to their pitching staff. And it paid dividends, as he struck out three batters in three innings en route to a 14–3 triumph over the Cardinals.

A Productive Start

Prospect Carson Benge was the first batter to reach base after a pitch struck him in the first inning. Juan Soto hit a double to advance his teammate to third. Benge opened the floodgates when a wild pitch allowed him to score the first of the Mets’ 13 runs.

Freddy Peralta started his day in the latter half of the inning, forcing three outs, including his first strikeout. He kept the Cardinals off base in the second, as they couldn’t get a hit off him. His grip over the mound remained tight as he struck out two batters to close out a scoreless third inning.

MJ Melendez fed off the stifling defense with a solo home run. Devin Williams made his Mets debut in the fourth, only for JJ Wetherholt to hit a solo home run. However, this didn’t slow down Williams from forcing the next three outs.

Scoring Frenzy

Nick Morabito drew a walk in the fourth before stealing second. Benge hit a single and swiped second, moving Morabito to third. Christian Arroyo scored Morabito on a sacrifice fly.

Hayden Senger brought the Mets’ lead up to three when he hit an RBI single. This scored Benge, before Melendez hit his second home run of the day. The three-run blast scored Senger and Jose Rojas, who drew a walk. This gave the Mets a comfortable six-run lead.

A.J. Ewing hit a single to kickstart the seventh, then scored the Mets’ eighth run thanks to a Kevin Parada RBI single. A pitch struck Ramon Mendoza of the Cardinals, before Chase Davis hit an RBI double to score him.

Cristian Pache hit a single in the eighth. Austin Barnes’ double scored him before Ewing hit a two-run home run to give the Mets an eight-run lead. Diego Mosquera hit a single before Pache hit a double. With base runners on second and third, Austin Moore hit a groundout to score Mosquera.

Ewing made it on base with a walk, as Jacob Reimer hit an RBI single to score Pache. Ewing scored the 14th run thanks to Kevin Parada making it to base on a walk. This sealed the Mets’ fourth win in spring training.

What Went Right for Mets

Freddy Peralta led the way in an 11-run victory over the Cardinals. His three strikeouts in three innings shut down the opposing offense early. The batters used this to their advantage, as they tallied nine hits and eight RBI.

What Went Wrong for Mets

Williams, who the Mets signed to a three-year, $51 million contract in December, gave up a home run to Wetherholt. Yet, he did make it through the rest of the inning without allowing another hit. Justin Hagenman surrendered two earned runs and four hits in three innings.

Looking Ahead

The Mets will take on the Washington Nationals at 1:10 pm Eastern Saturday. Freddy Peralta will look forward to receiving more starts in spring training ahead of being the Mets’ Opening Day starter in a matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates.