Mason Miller Strikes Out Ohtani, Turner in Impressive ASG Appearance

Jason Burke | Jul 17, 2024

Jul 16, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; American League pitcher Mason Miller of the Oakland Athletics (19) pitches in the fifth inning during the 2024 MLB All-Star game at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Oakland A's closer Mason Miller was the team's only All Star Game representative this season, but as he has done all year long, he continued to build on his own legend with his inning of work.

Miller came into the game in the fifth inning with the American League and National League tied at three runs apiece. The first batter he faced, Arizona's Ketel Marte, flew out to left field on the first pitch he saw. Then the fun began.

Los Angeles Dodgers' superstar Shohei Ohtani was next up, and Miller struck him out swinging on four pitches, with the final offering being a slider down and in to the lefty.

Mason Miller gets Shohei Ohtani swinging! pic.twitter.com/NrGtCx3u1H

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 17, 2024

Philadelphia Phillies star Trea Turner was next up, and he worked the count full, but was ultimately caught looking on a slider that Miller painted at the top of the zone after hammering a couple of fastballs in.

With the American League scoring two runs in the bottom of the fifth, Miller was also credited with the win in his first All Star Game. This will also be the final time that a player from the Oakland A's is in the game, which Miller spoke about earlier in the week.

As if utter domination wasn't enough for the A's flamethrower, Miller also recorded the fastest pitch of the pitch-tracking era (since 2008) in an All Star Game, with this pitch below the zone to Turner that reached 103.6 miles per hour.

Mason Miller throws the fastest #AllStarGame pitch in the pitch-tracking era (2008) at 103.6 MPH. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ro32W0c70S

— MLB (@MLB) July 17, 2024

Miller has been incredible for the A's the season in his new role as the team's closer, holding a 2.27 ERA (1.67 FIP) at the break, while striking out an insane 46.7% of the hitters he's faced this season. On Tuesday, Miller was just one of two pitchers to not allow a base runner while striking out two batters in their inning of work.

He is 25 years old and has all of 73 innings pitched in the big leagues, and that comes after throwing a total of 39 1/3 innings in the minors before being called up to Oakland. He still has room to grow, which is a scary thought for the rest of baseball.

Teams around the league have been inquiring about the possibility of acquiring Miller for their postseason runs, but his price tag just keeps going up the more that he pitches. If a team were to back up an entire system's worth of prospects to the steps of the Coliseum, then a team may be able to pry him out of Oakland, but it's tough to see that happening in the next two weeks.