Miller becomes the first reliever since 1901 to accomplish a mind-boggling feat originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Mason Miller’s dominance following the Athletics’ 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night was not only impressive, but historic.
The young reliever outlasted the trio of Jordan Beck, Charlie Blackmon and Ezequiel Tovar on 16 pitches, striking out each on swinging strikes to close out the one-run win at the Coliseum.
Miller became the first reliever since 1901 to go 15 games with no runs allowed, more than 40 strikeouts and fewer than five walks, according to the MLB research team (Martin Gallegos of h/t MLB.com).
In 19 1/3 scoreless innings over his last 15 games, Miller allowed just four hits, four walks and struck out 40 batters.
From our MLB research team: Since 1901, Mason Miller has become the first reliever with a 15-game stretch of no runs allowed, more than 40 strikeouts and fewer than five walks.
pic.twitter.com/RBBQ9ACovu— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) May 22, 2024
The last time Miller allowed a hit was April 25, and he hasn’t allowed a run since March 30 — his first appearance of the season. And since his second outing of the season (April 2 against the Boston Red Sox), Miller has struck out 59 percent of the batters he faced, and 37 of the 55 (67.2 percent) outs he recorded were strikeouts ( h/t Underdog Fantasy’s Jared Carrabis).
Additionally, Miller’s -0.15 FIP is currently the lowest in a season among pitchers with more than 20 IPs, per Baseball Reference.
“That guy is one of a kind,” A’s starter Aaron Brooks said after Tuesday’s win. “His slider. He throws it as hard as his fastball and you just can’t pick it up. His arm speed is really good and it’s so tight that it’s hard for them to pick it up.”
Miller notched his ninth save of the season and helped secure Oakland’s 20th win of the season, while cementing his case for the hottest reliever in baseball with his final appearance.
