SAN DIEGO -- Last spring, Mason Miller burst onto the scene as one of the most electric relievers in baseball. Sporting a triple-digit fastball and a putaway slider -- with excellent command as well -- Miller racked up saves in his first 11 opportunities at the back end of the A's bullpen. And then -- like every closer -- he let one get away. He blew his first save. He shook off catcher Shea Langeliers, who had called for a slider, then threw a fastball that Rays outfielder Jose Siri launched into the left-field seats at Tropicana Field. To say it shook Miller would be an overstatement. But Miller also acknowledged that he didn’t take it well. For nearly two months in the big leagues, he'd known only one thing: success. Now came the challenge of handling failure. Mark Kotsay, Miller's then-manager with the A's, knew precisely where to turn. If there was anyone who knew the ups and downs of being a closer -- and how to handle them -- it was his pal Trevor Hoffman, Kotsay’s longtime teammate with the Padres. So Kotsay asked Hoffman to reach out to Miller. Shortly thereafter, Miller was on the phone with a Hall of Fame closer. "That's one of the best closers of all time, his number's up there in the stadium I call home now," Miller said. "It was pretty cool getting to talk with him." |
Hoffman and Miller spoke for about 20 minutes. They discussed the ninth-inning mentality. They discussed getting the most out of your electric stuff. They discussed the nuances of facing the same lineup -- and the same hitters -- multiple times in the same series. You know, the type of stuff closers talk about. "There really wasn't much I added," Hoffman said. "He had a really good handle already. It was just little things like that -- like mindset. ... He's super mature. He's very aware of who he is." To hear Miller tell it, Hoffman is underselling his impact. Sure, Miller would've worked through those challenges on his own. But his first blown save -- after two months of only success -- was a new feeling. |
Hoffman, of course, saved 601 games across his 18 big league seasons. Only Mariano Rivera has more. But Hoffman also endured 76 blown saves. Like any longtime closer, he needed to master the mindset of bouncing back. For Miller to be presented with that mindset by a Hall of Famer -- in the immediate aftermath of his first blown save -- it made a tangible impact. "As a young closer that was learning what it takes to succeed, and sometimes that's through failure, just [Hoffman’s] willingness to take the time to talk to me felt really cool," Miller said. "Because it was a feeling I hadn't really felt before." Hoffman remains an adviser in the Padres' organization. He works with pitchers at Spring Training and he makes himself available as a resource. It's the least he can do, he says. He remembered watching and learning from Dennis Eckersley in the early 1990s. He noted the impact of Padres Cy Young Award-winning reliever Mark Davis on his own preparation in the bullpen. So why does Hoffman invest so heavily in today’s pitchers? "Because guys did it for me," he said. "But you have to go through it. It's one thing to talk about it. It's another to live it and understand. It sucks to have to go through the trials and tribulations to solidify what those people are talking about. But if a conversation can be had ... maybe they don't have to go completely through the pothole." |
Needless to say, Hoffman loves this new-look San Diego bullpen. Miller has arrived on fire, striking out 15 of the first 27 hitters he’s faced as a Padre. He’s filled a setup role mostly, with Robert Suarez continuing as closer. But Miller is still pitching serious high-leverage innings -- and doing so for a contender for the first time. Hoffman hasn’t met Miller in person yet. (The Padres have spent much of August on the road.) But the two have texted back and forth since Miller was acquired in a six-player blockbuster at last month’s Deadline. The deal stunned the baseball world and gave the Padres yet another high-leverage weapon, with Suarez, Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada already on board. "Obviously, very excited to be able to acquire an arm like that," Hoffman said. "It's an opportunity for us to really lengthen our bullpen with the four other guys that we have.” “This,” Hoffman added, “is a bullpen set up for the postseason.” |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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Today's starter Dylan Cease is on pace to become the second Padres pitcher with multiple 200-strikeout seasons. Who was the first?
A. Andy Benes
B. Clay Kirby
C. Jake Peavy
D. Tyson Ross |
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• Rafael Devers learned the hard way on Wednesday: If you want to hit a home run to right field at Petco Park, you’d better clear the wall by at least a few feet. Otherwise, Fernando Tatis Jr. is probably going to catch it. • The Padres landed Ryan O’Hearn, an All-Star slugger, in another of their Deadline deals. But he's yet to emerge as an everyday starter. So, why has he been sitting against lefties? • The Padres snapped their recent losing streak on Tuesday night -- and did so with precisely the formula they'll need down the stretch and into October. • In a one-run game on Monday, Xander Bogaerts had a home run taken off the board after a disputed fan-interference ruling, to the displeasure of manager Mike Shildt. |
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C. Jake Peavy
Of the 10 different Padres pitchers to record 200 strikeouts in a season, Peavy is the only one to have done so multiple times -- and he did so in three straight years, from 2005-07. |
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