OAKLAND -- Mason Miller has dominated in his rookie Athletics campaign, and it took the right-handed closer until his team’s last-ever Coliseum homestand to reflect on it.
Miller holds a 2.37 ERA through 60 2/3 innings pitched with eight A’s games remaining during the 2024 MLB season. The 26-year-old was named an AL All-Star this summer and earned the nicknames “Miller Time” and “The Reaper” for his ability to shut down games with 96 strikeouts and a fastball that reaches 104 mph.
The A’s hold a 67-87 record after Friday’s extra-inning loss to the New York Yankees, but their future is bright -- and Miller is a big reason why.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
“It's great, man,” Miller told NBC Sports California on Friday about his true rookie season. “I mean, I just don't get a lot of chances to kind of appreciate a year in full until it's over.
“Just having a moment [to] look back on the year, the success that's come with it, just in terms of my own personal kind of goals and aspirations, but also just seeing how it stacks up against, you know, previous Athletics [pitchers] in history.”
Miller had to grind to reach this point.
He was a project of a pitcher at Division III Waynesburg University in Pennsylvania, where it wasn’t until Miller received a Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis that he had answers for an above-7.00 ERA, poor stamina and inability to put on, let alone hold, weight. Then, a medically informed and treated Miller performed better before transferring to D-I Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina, where he continued to flourish, gaining big-league traction.
Athletics
Find the latest Athletics news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
Miller ultimately was selected No. 97 overall in the 2021 MLB Draft by the A’s and made his major-league debut on April 19, 2023, as a starter. However, a right UCL sprain put what was supposed to be Miller’s rookie season on pause after just 10 appearances, placing him in a less-demanding relief role when he returned.
Still, the righty kept working as usual, making the most of his time out of the bullpen. And it all paid off.
Miller became Oakland’s all-time rookie saves leader Wednesday after earning his 27th of the year in a 5-3 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
The most saves by a rookie in Oakland #Athletics history belongs to Mason Miller 👏 pic.twitter.com/jnoDc9w20x
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) September 18, 2024
Even after experiencing so much throughout his baseball career, Miller struggles to fathom how far he has come.
“I don't think there are words that I can say that really put that into perspective -- even for myself -- at this point,” Miller said. “I think that's something that you look back on in two, three, five, 10 years and really appreciate kind of the opportunity that I've been given -- and earned here, too. Just grateful for the group of guys, coaches, and everybody that has helped me get to this point.”
Wednesday's feat truly encapsulated Miller’s rookie season. It was a moment he’ll never forget in one of baseball’s most iconic venues.
One other moment from the 2024 season, though, stands out above all for Miller. Spoiler alert: it occurred in one of the few stadiums that rivals Wrigley’s aura regarding location, history and atmosphere.
“I don't even know, man,” Miller prefaced about his favorite moment of the season. “I feel like for me, every time I pitch, it's important.
“Probably [pitching] in New York -- Yankee Stadium -- early in the year, getting two saves. [The] lights are a little brighter, you know? That moment sticks out a little bit more than some of the other ones. Each save like that has been important. It's got us a win, got us in the clubhouse celebrating. So, yeah, it's that's one that kind of sticks with me a little more.”
Miller shut down the Yankees in April and collected two saves in the four-game series split.
He earned heavy national attention after punching out New York stars Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, who don’t look like amateurs too often.
“It's always cool to play a big-market team like that -- guys that are on MLB Central all the time, to see their highlights," Miller added. "[The] lights shine a little brighter for sure.”
Volpe, Soto and Judge didn't stand a chance against Mason Miller 🔥 pic.twitter.com/o8pEJE1AQM
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) April 22, 2024
The lights sure do shine brightly.
The A’s definitely found something in Miller, and general manager David Forst appears to be building around the closer after refusing to deal him at the 2024 MLB trade deadline.
No part of Miller’s journey has been a walk in the park. And even when things go right, as they have for the entire season, Miller fails to look around to admire what he has built for himself.
Fortunately, Miller took a moment Friday to acknowledge his place as Oakland’s last great rookie closer.