Erik Miller’s control issues, the ones that have been a glaring red flag his entire career, are undeniably resurfacing, and if you’re a Boston fan, you should be absolutely panicked. This isn’t a rough patch, it’s a full-blown crisis hitting at the worst possible moment as the calendar marches through September and everyone’s eyes turn towards the high-stakes drama of October.
Miller’s Wild History Is Repeating
We’re talking about a history of wildness here, not a fluke. Earlier this season, when Miller was still slinging it for the Giants, he managed to walk a stunning three batters while only recording a single out. Let that sink in for a second: three free passes, zero actual damage done by him, and barely an out to show for it. And that’s not even the worst of it. Back in May, we saw him walk six batters over a terrifying stretch of two cumulative innings. It’s hard to imagine anything more frustrating than watching your pitcher struggle that much to find the plate. If you want to talk about rock-bottom debuts, his very first big league appearance was a disaster: two walks, three earned runs, and not a single out recorded. For a fleeting moment, it genuinely looked like he might have turned a corner. There was a stretch where he only walked three hitters in his first eleven game appearances. But whatever “it” was he figured out, it’s gone now, and the old demons are clearly back.
No Miller in October. Period.
Look, October baseball is truly amazing. The energy, the tension, the sheer will to win , it’s unmatched. But here’s the kicker: October baseball is also absolutely terrible. And it’s at its most amazing and terrible when some shaky reliever is standing on that mound, desperately trying to keep his team alive, every pitch a potential disaster. The emotional scars from watching those kinds of innings are real, trust me. You never forget the gut-wrenching feeling of watching a game slip away because a pitcher cannot locate the strike zone. You feel it in your bones, that body chemistry change from pure anxiety. So, let me make this crystal clear for Craig Breslow and Chad Tracy, loud and direct: I want absolutely no part of Erik Miller in the playoffs. You simply cannot do it. Let him do literally anything else , and I mean anything, even if it’s pinch-hitting , before you let him toe the rubber in the late innings of a close, do-or-die game. The stakes are too astronomically high for that kind of risk.
Boston’s decision-makers need to face reality on this one, and they need to do it fast. Miller’s control issues are a ticking time bomb, and ignoring them as the season winds down could lead to heartbreak. They’ve got to find a way to navigate those crucial late-game situations without putting him out there, because if they don’t, fans are in for an October that’s going to feel a lot more terrible than amazing.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Over the Monster.
Leave a Reply