Miller's grand opening in the Big Apple

This story was originally published on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.

NEW YORK -- Much like New York City is a proving ground for young talent in show business, Yankee Stadium is regarded as one of the biggest stages to perform on for a baseball player.

Mason Miller provides entertainment in the form of throwing baseballs extremely hard. It’s a skill that has garnered the A’s rookie flamethrower much national acclaim for his ability to perform it better than any pitcher in the sport over these first few weeks of the season. On Monday, it was time to take that attraction to the Bronx.

“Walking around before the game, it’s got a different air about it, for sure,” Miller said of Yankee Stadium. “But getting in the game, it’s just me and the guy in the box.”

Taking the Yankee Stadium mound for the first time in his career as he was summoned out of the bullpen for the ninth inning, the Mason Miller Show was in full effect, and though the spectacle only lasted 14 pitches and was over in less than five minutes, it was filled with eye-popping velocity readings and well worth the price of admission.

Facing the top of the Yankees’ lineup, the electrifying closer started off with his slider -- a filthy wipeout pitch in its own right -- as an opening act by throwing it three times in a row to Anthony Volpe, who watched the first one go for a strike before fouling off the next two. With a commanding 0-2 count, Miller fired off a 102.5 mph heater up in the zone for a swinging strikeout.

Up next: superstar slugger Juan Soto. The three-time All-Star is one of the game’s best at handling heat, as he entered the matchup 7-for-19 with two home runs in his career against pitches of at least 100 mph.

Miller seemingly welcomed the challenge. He whipped four straight fastballs. Each one registered at least 100.3 mph. The last one blew right past a swinging Soto at 103.3 mph -- the fastest strikeout pitch in 2024 -- and caused him to walk back to the dugout with a look of bewilderment as he gazed at Miller’s towering 6-foot-5 presence on the mound.

The final showdown? Aaron Judge, of course. With two outs, the perennial MVP candidate confidently dug into the box after watching his teammates get utterly dominated. Miller immediately delivered two fastballs of 100.7 mph and 102.2, both of which Judge swung at far too late.

This is where Miller’s cerebral mindset comes into play.

Having just produced two hopeless swings, Miller easily could have fed Judge a third. Instead, he followed with three consecutive sliders at 88.6 mph, 87.7 and 87.8. Getting to a 2-2 count, Miller finished it off with 102.5 mph down the middle that Judge was again late on, sealing a 2-0 A’s victory and his fifth save of the year.

“Under normal circumstances,” Miller said, “I think I would have went right back to the fastball. But knowing the kind of hitter [Judge] is, if I went three straight, who knows what he would have done to that third one. You don’t give a hitter like that three of the same pitch. You want to mix in a couple others.”

Firing off six pitches of at least 101 mph, Miller brought his total of 101-plus mph fastballs this season to 42. The rest of the pitchers in the Majors have combined to throw 34 such pitches.

High velocity in the A’s bullpen is not confined to Miller. There’s also Lucas Erceg, whose bowling-ball sinker averaged 99.7 mph and maxed out at 100.5 in his two scoreless innings on Monday. But Miller is entrenched as the final boss in the back end who looks unbeatable.

Since allowing two runs in his 2024 debut on March 30, Miller has been flawless over his last seven appearances. Across nine scoreless innings, he’s allowed just three hits and three walks with 19 strikeouts.

After dealing with a right UCL injury last season as a starter, the A’s moved Miller to the bullpen this season hoping to keep him healthy for a full year. When A’s general manager David Forst announced the move in November, he left the door open for the possibility of Miller returning to a starting role at some point after 2024.

Based on his wild success so far, it’s tough to envision Miller in a role other than shutdown closer any time soon.

“The kid has embraced this role from day one,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “He’s got the stuff to be a back-end guy, and he’s starting to prove it. There’s a lot of confidence when he takes that mound. It’s a good sign for a young pitcher to come into Yankee Stadium for his first save and go 1-2-3.”