Coors Field has always been special for Peralta family

This story was excerpted from Thomas Harding’s Rockies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

DENVER -- Luis Peralta’s first inning and first Major League strikeout came on Aug. 24 at Yankee Stadium -- a baseball cathedral.

But long before the 23-year-old Peralta became a Major Leaguer, Coors Field was so special to him -- and his family -- that it brought him to tears.

We’ll explain.

In May of 2018, the Peralta family -- which hails from Moca, Dominican Republic -- journeyed to Colorado Springs to watch the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate at the time. That team included future All-Star right-hander Freddy Peralta. On the morning of May 13, scheduled Brewers starter Chase Anderson got sick. So all the Peraltas made the dream trip north on I-25 to watch Freddy make his first big league start -- at Coors.

All except for Luis Peralta, Freddy's brother.

A Pirates prospect in the Dominican Summer League, Luis was at least able to share family emotion from 2,600 miles away.

“It was something that actually made me cry, seeing my brother make his debut,” Peralta said through interpreter Edwin Perez. “And, you know, it was on Mother's Day too.”

Everything fell into place for Freddy, who didn’t give up a hit until the sixth and struck out 13 in 5 2/3 scoreless innings. The stars also aligned for Luis to watch it on television.

“We had a day off, so not only me but all my teammates were watching,” Luis said. “We were screaming and just enjoying it.”

Rockies fans now get to yell for Luis Peralta.

In 4 1/3 innings over four appearances, the three most recent ones at Coors, Peralta has held opponents to one hit with three strikeouts and one walk. Manager Bud Black has held up his promise to test young players, and every game in which Peralta has pitched has been decided by no more than two runs.

The left-handed Peralta has been as good he was before the Rockies acquired him for veteran lefty reliever Jalen Beeks at the Trade Deadline. Converted from starter to reliever in Spring Training, Peralta blossomed in the Minors by going a combined 7-0 with a 0.94 ERA at High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona with the Pirates, and Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque with the Rockies before being selected for the Major League club on Aug. 23.

Peralta had higher-than-desired walk numbers as a starter from 2021-23 in Rookie Ball and Single-A. Scouting reports detailed a power fastball, but a breaking pitch that needed development. The assessment remains true, although the slider is improving. But his 75 strikeouts to 21 walks in 47 2/3 Minor League innings this year demonstrate that the fastball is special.

Going to the stretch rather than the windup has helped. And Peralta hit upon a visual trick that has the fastball, which averages 94.8 mph, to hit spots on either side of the plate.

“The first principal point is the [catcher’s] mask,” Peralta said. “When I focus on the mask in the middle of the zone, I can get my strikes to go the way I want. That was one of the main things I worked on in the offseason, understanding where I want to locate my pitch and where to release it. That’s how I know where it’s going to go in the zone.”