DETROIT -- Jhonny Peralta wasn't sure he would play in the postseason with the Detroit Tigers, never mind have a moment like he had Tuesday in Game 4 of the American League Division Series vs. the Oakland Athletics.
Peralta accepted a 50-game suspension on Aug. 5 as a result of his association with the Biogenesis clinic.
The Tigers then traded for shortstop Jose Iglesias, and team president and general manager Dave Dombrowski didn't give Peralta any guarantees he would be reinstated once the suspension was over.
Peralta spent his suspension staying ready in his native Dominican Republic and rejoined the Tigers Sept. 11, when he was allowed to start working out with the team.
It was then the Tigers had him start taking fly balls in left field.
Peralta went to the instructional league in Lakeland, Fla., for more work in left field and met up with the Tigers in Miami for the last series of the regular season.
With slugger Miguel Cabrera ailing and unable to hit the way he had earlier in the season, the Tigers' offense suffered down the stretch and the team decided to put Peralta on the postseason roster in place of Matt Tuiasosopo, who had struggled offensively in the second half.
Manager Jim Leyland used Peralta only as a pinch hitter in the first two games in Oakland. However, when the Tigers went 17 innings there without scoring a run after getting three in the first inning of Game 1, Leyland put Peralta in the starting lineup in left field for the two games in Detroit.
On Monday, Peralta hit a game-tying, two-run single in the fourth inning of Game 3, but the Tigers lost 6-3 and fell behind in the series 2-1.
In Game 4 on Tuesday, the Tigers trailed 3-0 heading into the fifth inning. Then up came Peralta, who changed everything.
With Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez on base, Peralta hit a 2-2 fastball from Dan Straily over Yoenis Cespedes' outstretched glove into the bullpen, tying the game 3-3.
"That home run right there, it couldn't have come at a better time," Austin Jackson said. "It couldn't have happened to a better guy.
"We were just pumped up for him. Jhonny, he's been awesome. For him to do that right there in that situation, it shows a lot about how good of a player he is."
Said Martinez: "Definitely gave us a great push, no doubt about it. That's been Jhonny all season long. He's been great for us, and he just proved it once again."
The fans in left field not only greeted Peralta with loud cheers when he went out for the sixth inning, they also tossed him the home run ball.
"Some fans throw the ball, and I keep it in the dugout," said Peralta, whose double led to the go-ahead run for the Tiger in the seventh inning. "I keep it with me in the clubhouse. Feels really good for that."
Peralta is now tied with Martinez for the team lead with a .375 postseason batting average. Peralta has six postseason home runs for Detroit, which ties Cabrera for second-most postseason homers in team history. Delmon Young has eight. (Peralta also hit two postseason home runs for Cleveland.)
Leyland wasn't sure Peralta would be able to regain his timing at the plate after missing so many games, but others weren't surprised.
"He was able to work out with us a few days and went down to the instructional league, made a commitment down there to what we call the jungle," Tigers hitting coach Lloyd McClendon said. "It's tough down there. He went at it the right way.
"I had daily reports on him, and he was grinding it out every day and I knew he would be ready when he got back."
Peralta, an All-Star this season, batted .303 with 11 home runs and 55 RBI in 107 games.
Still, there are some people, even some Tigers fans, who don't feel Peralta should be on the team after being suspended.
Others felt differently, even before Peralta's postseason heroics.
"I'm extremely happy for Jhonny," McClendon said. "I'm a believer that if a person makes a mistake, he deserves a second chance in any walk of life.
"So I'm happy that he's given an opportunity to have a second chance. He's a good citizen, he's a model ballplayer and he's been tremendous for this organization. We're just happy to see him succeed the way he's succeeding."
Peralta, who always has been a quiet presence in the Tigers' clubhouse, is happy to be back with his teammates in the postseason and contributing.
"I feel really good that Dombrowski give me the opportunity here, and the fans, they feel really good for me," Peralta said. "I tried to do my best for the team and for the fans here in Detroit, so I feel grateful for the opportunity."
