On Sunday, the Milwaukee Brewers took a 2-0 lead in the NLDS after they secured a 4-3 victory over the San Diego Padres in walk-off fashion — with Jackson Chourio driving in two runs with a single up the middle off of Mason Miller.
Miller, who had an ERA of 1.67 and 129 strikeouts in 2026, looked human in Game 2. He did not seem to help himself at all, as fans on social media noticed that the Padres closer appeared to tip his pitches. On one instance, it looked like Sal Frelick, the Brewers' man on second base during Chourio's crucial at-bat, recognized Miller's glove placement and knew that a slider was coming. He then appeared to alert Chourio with a simple tap to his neck, and the Brewers star laid off that pitch accordingly.
As the old adage goes, baseball is a game of inches, not just from a literal sense, but also from a figurative sense. Playoff baseball is the pinnacle of competition on the diamond, and only the best of the best make it out alive of this gauntlet. The margins are so thin, and every team, including the Brewers, need every advantage they can get. And they sure made the most of it in Game 2.
Other screenshots from fans on social media showed that Miller hid more of his grip before he threw a slider, while more of his hand was exposed before he threw a four-seamer.
At the end of the day, pitch-tipping or not, Miller still did not cover himself in glory. He allowed three walks to load the bases in the bottom of the ninth, and the Brewers made him pay.
Even then, the Padres closer is so good that despite allegedly tipping his pitches and undoubtedly struggling with command, he almost got San Diego out of that jam, as Chourio was down to his final strike.
At the very least, Miller should be cognizant of this issue and work to rectify it before Game 3 of the NLDS on Tuesday.