Padres' Mason Miller Threw 'Arguably the Best Pitch Ever Thrown' Against Cubs

Did Mason Miller throw the perfect pitch in the seventh inning of Wednesday's National League Wild Card game against the Chicago Cubs?

One former Cubs pitcher — a longtime NL West rival of the Padres — thinks he did.

More news: Padres Pitch Shutout vs Cubs, Set Up Win-Or-Go-Home Game 3 in Wild Card

"This is arguably the best pitch ever thrown by a human being," Brett Anderson wrote on his Twitter/X account in response to this 104.5-mph fastball on the corner to strike out Carson Kelly:

This is arguably the best pitch ever thrown by a human being https://t.co/InSzemtYHP
— Brett Anderson (@_BAnderson30_) October 1, 2025

The pitch qualified as perfect on both artistical and technical merits.

Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune noted that it was the fastest Miller has thrown a baseball in his career, and also the fastest any pitcher has thrown a baseball in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008).

And also the fastest postseason pitch since pitch-tracking began in 2008. https://t.co/VgMWODRM5C
— Jeff Sanders (@sdutSanders) October 1, 2025

MLB.com researcher Sarah Langs noted that it was also the fourth-fastest strikeout pitch since 2008 in either the regular season or the postseason.

104.5 mph!!! MASON MILLER

Fastest pitch in postseason under pitch tracking (2008)

4th-fastest strikeout pitch in span in reg or post https://t.co/707ApGCW0i
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 1, 2025

Miller has begun his Padres postseason career by striking out all eight batters he's faced. They needed his dominance Wednesday in a 3-0 win at Wrigley Field to set up a win-or-go-home Game 3.

More news: 2 Padres Have 'A Lot At Stake' in Postseason, Says Insider

The Padres acquired Miller from the A's in a blockbuster trade that sent the closer and starting pitcher JP Sears to San Diego in exchange for prospects Leo De Vries, Henry Baez, Braden Nett and Eduarniel Nuñez.

With the deadline-day deal, the Padres managed to assemble the most dominant bullpen of any postseason qualifier. Miller allowed two runs in 23.1 regular season innings (0.77 ERA), walking 10 and allowing seven hits for a miniscule 0.73 WHIP.

In two games against the Cubs, Miller has picked up right where he left off in the regular season.

Miller recorded five outs Wednesday, following Adrian Morejon (2.1 innings) out of the Padres' bullpen. Robert Suarez closed it out by recording the final four outs.

Along with starter Dylan Cease, the Padres pitchers scattered four hits, one walk, and struck out 11 batters in shutting out the Cubs in their own ballpark.

If the Padres are able to close the deal against the Cubs on Thursday, Miller's strikeout pitch to Kelly will be merely one of many he throws in the postseason. But the down-and-away fastball will be hard to top.

So will his record eight consecutive strikeouts to begin his postseason career, topping the previous record by two.

No pitcher had ever struck out more than six consecutive hitters to begin their #Postseason career.

Mason Miller just struck out his first EIGHT.

(h/t @EliasSports) pic.twitter.com/A3B54vOjOS
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 1, 2025

Miller, 27, was a third-round pick by Oakland in the 2021 MLB Draft. He debuted with the A's in 2023 and earned a spot on the American League All-Star roster the following year. His previous fastest pitch was clocked at 104.1 mph.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.