Oakland Athletics Reliever Mason Miller Throws League-Best Heat vs. Boston Red Sox
The five fastest pitches of the MLB season so far all came from Oakland A's relief pitcher Mason Miller in Tuesday night's extra-inning showdown with the Boston Red Sox.
The Boston Red Sox may have snuck by with another win over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night, but there was one pitcher who gave their batters fits at the plate.
Right-handed reliever Mason Miller entered with the game tied in the ninth. He struck out the first two Red Sox players he faced, carried the Athletics to extras, then got two more Ks in a scoreless 10th inning.
Miller's final line of 2.0 innings, 0 earned runs, four strikeouts and one walk was impressive, even Oakland was unable to capitalize on it. Mitch Spence took over in the 11th and allowed a game-winning RBI double play, then the Athletics went down in order in the bottom of the frame.
What made Miller's performance even more special, though, was the heat he was dealing when he was on the mound.
Miller had five pitches that went 101.4 miles per hour or faster, maxing out at 102.4. He now owns the five fastest pitches in baseball so far this regular season, according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs.
The Red Sox could barely touch his stuff, either, swinging and missing 11 times in eight at-bats.
It was quite the bounce back outing for Miller, who allowed two earned runs in 1.0 inning pitched on March 30.
Last season, Miller went 0-3 with a 3.78 ERA, 1.200 WHIP, 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.6 WAR. The 25-year-old righty was the No. 4 prospect in the Athletics' farm system entering 2023, and now he is expected to serve as the club's primary closer.
The A's and Red Sox will face off in their series finale Wednesday and 3:37 p.m. ET. Since Oakland has a day off Thursday, Miller could once again be available out of the bullpen.
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