A’s flamethrower Mason Miller does it again, closes out Yankees

Apr 26, 2024, 7:57 AM | Updated: 7:58 am

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - APRIL 06: Mason Miller #19 of the Oakland Athletics delivers a pitch against th...

(Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

Mason Miller did it again.

Three days removed from an electric closing performance against the New York Yankees on Monday afternoon, the hard-throwing right-hander delivered for the Oakland Athletics to finish a 3-1 win on Thursday night.

Miller, who struck out MVP candidate Juan Soto on a 103-miles-per-hour fastball on Monday, sat the star outfielder down on three straight pitches during the ninth inning of Thursday’s action at Yankee Stadium.

For the second time during the four-game series, Miller secured the save–this time, a four-out save that included three strikeouts and just one hit.

Mason Miller going Medieval on Juan Soto. 🥴

3 Pitch K: 87mph Slider, 101mph and 102mph ⛽️

Overlay of Slider & 102mph FB at the end. pic.twitter.com/wT37jeVxSL

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 26, 2024

“It got a little loud, so the adrenaline started pumping a little bit,” Miller said of his late-game appearance at Yankee Stadium. “But I quickly quieted it down with a strikeout.”

The 97th selection from the 2021 MLB Draft has been electric over seven relief appearances this season, pitching to a 1.59 ERA while striking out an incredible 23 batters over 11.1 innings pitched (18.3 strikeouts per nine innings pitched). Miller has been a lock-down closer, securing all six of his chances thus far.

“Obviously a pretty special fastball, and he’s got a feel for the slider,’’ Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Miller following Thursday’s game.

Boone is right about Miller’s fastball. The 25-year-old’s four-seam fastball averages 100.7 miles per hour, the top fastball in Major League Baseball.

Miller is becoming must-watch TV for baseball fans, and the closer is turning heads around the league as an up-and-coming flamethrower.