The Brewers ripped the heart out of the Padres on Sunday night, coming back in the ninth inning for a 4-3 victory in Game 2 of the NLDS. It was a shocking turn, with Milwaukee storming back to win against Mason Miller, arguably the best closer in baseball, and now, the internet is absolutely buzzing with claims that Miller was “tipping” his pitches.
Social Media is Going Wild, But Miller Says No Way
In the hours and days since that brutal Game 2 loss, pictures and videos have flooded social media, all pointing fingers at Miller for supposedly “tipping” his pitches. For anyone not familiar, tipping means a pitcher has some kind of tell, an accidental giveaway that lets the batter know what’s coming. Miller only throws two pitches, four-seam fastballs and sliders, so any tip would be a dead giveaway. But Miller, and his manager, are adamant that wasn’t the case. “I don’t really know what to make of it,” Miller said to MLB.com. “I feel like there was only one pitch that it would have had an impact. If you’re tipping your pitches and it’s a ball, I just don’t think it had anything to do with the walks. I also have a hard time believing I just magically started doing it.” He has a point too, right? Miller got five outs and gave up only one hit. He did walk three batters, and most of his misses were pretty wild, suggesting he might have just been gassed in his second inning of work. Pitchers will tell you that when they get tired, command goes way before velocity, and that definitely looked like a factor.
The “Confident Take” That Broke the Game
Still, there was one pitch, a 1-2 slider to Jackson Chourio, that even Miller himself seemed to wonder about. “That just seemed like a really confident take,” he admitted. Chourio went on to deliver the game-winning hit in that at-bat, sealing the stunning win for the Brewers. Padres manager Craig Stammen is brushing off the online speculation, too. “We’ve got a crew of people that are dedicated to that every single day,” Stammen said. “That is their sole job. We’re well aware of what’s going on with our pitchers, well aware of what’s going on with the Brewers’ pitchers and how they do things. It’s part of our daily acumen. The internet can go crazy and take things further than they need to go. We feel good about our process within that situation.” Miller echoed that sentiment, saying, “Yeah, the screenshots look like I’m here to here, like really noticeable. But I don’t feel like I am. … I’ve pitched with guys at second base all year. If that was there, I feel like it would’ve been picked up on a lot sooner than yesterday.”
The Brewers now hold a commanding 2-0 series lead, and they’ll get a chance to move on to the NLCS in Game 3 on Tuesday night. Can the Padres bounce back, or will that “confident take” be the moment that changed the series?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
Leave a Reply