Miller becomes first reliever since 1901 to reach mind-boggling feat
Miller becomes first reliever since 1901 to reach mind-boggling feat originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Mason Miller’s dominance from the bump in the Athletics’ 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night wasn’t just impressive — it was historic.
The young reliever survived through the trio of Jordan Beck, Charlie Blackmon and Ezequiel Tovar on 16 pitches, retiring each on swinging strikes to close out the one-run victory at the Coliseum.
Miller became the first reliever since 1901 to go 15 games with no runs allowed, 40-plus strikeouts and less than five walks, per the MLB research team (h/t MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos).
In 19 1/3 scoreless innings over his last 15 games, Miller has allowed just four hits, four walks and struck out 40 batters.
From our MLB Research team: Since 1901, Mason Miller is the first reliever with a 15-game stretch of no runs allowed, 40-plus strikeouts and fewer than five walks.
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— MartÃn Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) May 22, 2024
The last time Miller allowed a hit was April 25, and he hasn’t allowed a run since March 30 — his first appearance of the season. And since his second outing of the season (April 2 against the Boston Red Sox), Miller has struck out 59 percent of the batters he’s faced, and 37 of the 55 (67.2 percent) outs he’s recorded have been strikeouts (h/t Underdog Fantasy’s Jared Carrabis).
Additionally, Miller’s -0.15 FIP currently is the lowest in a season among pitchers with 20-plus IP, per Baseball Reference.
“That guy is one of a kind,” A’s starter Aaron Brooks said after Tuesday’s win. “His slider. He throws it just as hard as his fastball and you just can’t pick it up. his arm speed is really good and that’s so tight of a spin that it’s hard for them to pick it up.”
Miller notched his ninth save of the season and helped secure Oakland’s 20th win of the season, all while strengthening his case for the hottest reliever in baseball with his latest outing.
