Inside The Padres

Padres' Mason Miller On The Wrong Side Of Insane MLB History

Aug 1, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Mason Miller (22) pitches during the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Chadd Cady-Imagn Images
Aug 1, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Mason Miller (22) pitches during the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Chadd Cady-Imagn Images | Chadd Cady-Imagn Images

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San Diego Padres relief pitcher Mason Miller made unfortunate MLB history in the Padres' extra-innings win against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, as the 103.9 mph fastball he threw to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was the fastest pitch taken deep since at least 2008, when StatCast began tracking pitch speeds.

Miller came into the game in the eighth inning, getting both Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll out before allowing a walk to Geraldo Perdomo before Gurriel came to the plate. His two-run homer tied the game, and sent the game into extras. The Padres eventually won the game after a five-run 11th inning.

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“I have two good pitches,” Miller said. “At the end of the day, I’m never going to say I should have thrown the other one. Just ultimately could have executed a little bit better. And that’s what it comes down to. That fastball out over the plate, maybe he fouls it in the stands. But up (and) in, that’s the spot that he’s able to get to.”

Miller bounced back in Thursday's game, keeping a scoreless ninth inning with three strikeouts and earning his first save as a Padre as they took the final game of their three-game set against the D-Backs.

The Padres acquired Miller from the A's in the premier move of this season's deadline. They sent a package of four top-30 prospects, including MLB No. 3 prospect Leo De Vries, to the A's in exchange for Miller and starting pitcher JP Sears, who was optioned to Triple-A earlier this week.

Miller is under team control through 2029, and will be an integral part of the Padres bullpen for years to come. He has somewhat struggled with the long ball this season, allowing 1.1 homers per nine innings, but is still posting solid numbers during a down year during which he mostly played in a hitter's ballpark.

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With their potentially MLB-best bullpen, the Padres are closing in on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West and trail by just two games after Thursday. They've climbed a spot in the Wild Card and now have a game of breathing room ahead of the New York Mets.

They'll play two series against the Dodgers before the end of the month, which will play a huge role in deciding the division.

Before then, they have a three-game set against the Boston Red Sox at home, which begins on Friday at 6:40 p.m. PT.

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Aaron Coloma
AARON COLOMA

Aaron Coloma is a contributing writer for On SI based in Los Angeles. A 2024 graduate of Cal Poly Pomona, he previously covered collegiate and high school sports for The Poly Post and Valley Sports Telegram, respectively.

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