Grace Vaccaro, State Times
Mason Miller, bullpen pitcher for the San Diego Padres, is making waves in the baseball world with his impressive and possibly historic start to the season.
Miller began his baseball career playing at the collegiate level at Waynesburg University in Pennsylvania. He transferred to Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina to continue to play. In college, Miller had a 3.92 ERA (Earned Run Average) with 306 strikeouts in 239 innings across five seasons.
Miller was drafted in 2021 by the Oakland Athletics. He was a third-round pick, being the 97th overall. He only pitched six games on that team. In 2023, he joined the Double-A Midland RockHounds. He played one game with them before being moved up to Triple-A Las Vegas. He again played one game, with 11 strikeouts, and he was promoted to the major leagues. Miller was on the MLB All-Star team in 2024.
On the San Diego Padres, Miller showed his skill when he struck out the final three batters in the ninth inning when the score was 3–2. When the Padres played the Baltimore Orioles in 2025, Miller threw an immaculate inning. This means that he struck out all three players with the minimum number of pitches, nine. At the end of the 2025 season, Miller had a 0.77 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 23.1 innings.
This season, notably, Miller has allowed zero runs, making his ERA score a 0. This is a commanding start to the season, which should make other teams wary when facing them. In the first 7 innings he pitched, he struck out 19 batters, and his WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) was 0.27. The average WHIP in the MLB is 1.3, marking Miller’s score as an incredibly low number. When Miller is pitching, almost no player is getting on base.
The specific pitch that makes Miller so dominant is his fastball. This pitch he throws at an average speed of 103 mph. Batters approach the plate, preparing to hit fastballs, when Miller switches up on them, throwing a slider. Some of the best hitters can’t adjust fast enough, resulting in Miller’s high level of strikeouts. In fact, Miller hasn’t allowed a run in his last 27 2/3 innings dating back to last season, the longest active scoreless streak in MLB.
Some fans wonder if Miller could potentially win the National League Cy Young Award. While all pitchers are eligible for this award, a relief pitcher has not won since 2003. The Cy Young Award is presented each year to the best pitcher in the MLB. If Miller is able to maintain his level of pitch, then the chances of his winning the award increase.
Gavin Sheets, the Padres first baseman, stated that he “… love[s] that [Miller] is on [their] team.” Miller may be the Padres’ secret weapon for making it further in this year’s season.
As the Padres continue to play, fans hope Miller continues to pitch the way he has, which would give the team a powerful edge.
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