Padres closer Mason Miller is 'one of the most remarkable things about our sport right now'
On the latest episode of "Baseball Bar-B-Cast," the hosts discussed Miller's incredible start to the season and what makes him so dominant.
With the Padres coming off a weekend sweep and on a five-game winning streak, it was time to talk about Padres closer Mason Miller on the latest episode of “Baseball Bar-B-Cast. ” “Mason Miller is breaking the sport,” Jake Mintz declared. “If you’re angry about the Los Angeles Dodgers and their deep-pocketed ways, well, you should be even more furious about Mason Miller and his mind-bending, law-breaking fastball and his slider.
” The 27-year-old San Diego closer has faced 24 batters so far in 2026. Nineteen of them have struck out. Eighteen of those have struck out swinging.
That’s a 79. 2% strikeout rate, which would be a record if Miller sustains that over the course of the season. The other five plates appearances against him were a walk, a single (his only hit allowed), a pop-out, a groundout and a flyout.
“He is as automatic as I can remember a pitcher being in one inning in our baseball-watching lives,” Mintz said. The fastball gets the majority of the attention with Miller, which is understandable considering that he throws it 103 mph. But as the hosts noted, Miller is actually throwing his slider more than his fastball so far this in 2026, and that is making life even more difficult for opposing hitters.