The Padres defeated the Dodgers 1-0, with Mason Miller securing a dramatic victory and San Diego moving above L.A. in the National League West standings by half a game.
King and Yamamoto Duel
Michael King outdueled Yoshinobu Yamamoto for seven innings. Miguel Andujar’s early homer served as the game’s only run.
Miller’s Near Miss, Ultimate Success
Mason Miller entered the game in the ninth inning. Ten pitches into Miller’s outing, something was off as he struggled with command. Nine of his first 10 pitches were balls.
Miller managed to regain his form and secure the Padres’ victory. He said he got away from who he was for a minute and then found it real quick, attributing it to a mechanical issue related to not finishing strong on his front leg. Pitching coach Ruben Niebla offered advice, but remained confident, stating, “He’s the best pitcher in baseball right now. And his confidence level is at that right now. I was pretty calm the whole time, because I was like: It was going to happen. Mason makes it happen. And he made it happen.”
Catcher Rodolfo Durán’s challenge also proved crucial. It changed the count to 1-1 after Miller’s slider caught the outside corner. Miller said it was a big momentum shift.
From that point, dominant Mason Miller returned. The last 12 pitches he threw were all strikes. He got Smith to fly to center, then punched out Max Muncy and got Andy Pages to bounce weakly to third base.
Mental Toughness Key for Padres Closer
Manager Craig Stammen noted Miller’s resilience. He said, “He just went from throwing a lot of balls to just throwing all strikes. That’s a pretty big flip of the switch. It just talks about how mentally tough he is.”
- Miller’s fastball sits above 100 mph.
- His slider is one of the sport’s best putaway weapons.
- He’s throwing both for strikes more than he ever has.
The Padres believe Miller’s makeup is a big reason for his success.
Miller locked it in and delivered three of the Padres’ biggest outs of the season.