David Peralta killing Dodgers as a Padre the year after LA overpaid him is hilarious

In case a 6-5 win in Game 3 of the National League Division Series wasn't enough, the San Diego Padres found another way to stick it to the hated Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday night.

In a twist of fate that all but confirms that the baseball gods were smiling down on San Diego in Game 3, the player who doubled in a pair of runs in the second inning to help push the Padres to the brink of advancing to the NLCS was none other than former Dodgers outfielder David Peralta.

Peralta also belted a two-run homer in Game 2 to put the Padres up 3-1 in what would eventually turn into a 10-2 blowout. This, by the way, comes after he didn't start in Game 1. He's now 2-for-6 with a double, home run and four RBI.

Peralta spent just one season with the Dodgers in 2023, but his one-year, $6.5 million contract was widely criticized as a considerable overpay for a player who hit .259 on the season with just seven home runs. The 37-year-old started 2024 on a minor-league deal with the Chicago Cubs, where he slashed just .217/.341/.348 in 20 games for Triple-A Iowa before opting out and signing a new minor-league deal with the Padres, who optioned him to Triple-A El Paso in May.

It didn't take long for the Padres to select Peralta's contract, adding him to the big league roster on May 22. He became San Diego's regular right fielder against lefty pitching during Fernando Tatis’ absence due to injury and finished the season slashing .289/.347/.472 with eight homers and 24 RBI over his final 64 games.

David Peralta has been a pleasant surprise for the Padres in NLCS vs. Dodgers

Tatis returned in September, relegating Peralta to the bench for the remainder of the regular season. His bat has come alive in the postseason, though, beginning with his first career postseason homer Saturday in Game 1 against the Dodgers.

Peralta, a journeyman who flamed out as a minor-league pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals system before finding his way back to the big leagues, has been one of the great storylines of this thrilling Padres season.

Once expected to be a non-roster depth piece at best, Peralta has become a critical piece of this team who can deliver in key moments during the postseason. And there being an angle where the Dodgers end up being adversely affected makes it all the better.

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