Around the Curve | Perachi’s Return Highlights Second Half for Curve Rotation

CURVE, Pa. - Take a close look at the baseball players on a Division III baseball field and all the players have one thing in common, the opportunity to keep playing baseball. Dominic Perachi’s experience at a small Rhode Island University, Salve Regina, is no different from thousands of other players around the country who continue to play the game they love. In fact, only three players (including Perachi) have matriculated into professional baseball after their college career.

The Pirates saw something interesting with Dominic, who had bumped his fastball velocity from the low-80’s into the low-90’s in his time on campus. In 2022, he turned heads all around the scouting community with a 9-1 record a 1.00 ERA and an eye-popping 120 strikeouts in 71.2 innings pitched. The physical tools for Perachi were obvious with a sturdy 6’3’’ frame and a wicked curveball that fooled hitters, leading the Pirates to make him the highest draft pick in his program’s history, an 11^th round selection in 2022.

Perachi, who first appeared with the Curve as a fill-in in the rotation in 2024, has pitched in 23 games, 20 starts, for the club over the last three seasons. Though, since he arrived, he’s confronted with injuries for the first time in his life. Perachi was largely healthy throughout his amateur career at Shepaug Valley High School, the smallest school district in the state of Connecticut, and at spring training last year reported some elbow soreness that slowed the start of his season. This year, an oblique strain has kept him sidelined for several weeks.

“We are looking forward to Dom picking up where he left off pre-injury,” said the Pirates Director of Coaching and Player Development Michael Chernow. “We really believe he’s taken a real step forward and coming into his own as a pitcher and believe he can continue to grow into an option who could help us in Pittsburgh.”

Pre-injury this year, Perachi was at his best, showing two breaking balls, a change-up and a low-90’s heater that’s reached as high as 95. In April, he started four times for the Curve and recorded a 2.70 ERA, which included a brilliant outing against Portland on April 18 at Peoples Natural Gas Field. Over six scoreless frames he efficiently mowed down the Sea Dogs, inducing three double play balls that helped the Curve to a 2-0 win. Perachi began a minor league rehab assignment in Florida on June 13 and figures to be one of Altoona’s top starters in the second half of the season, alongside Connor Oliver, Connor Wietgrefe, Matt Ager and Peyton Stumbo.