Padres fans can’t believe Mason Miller’s unfortunate first in loss to Pirates

The San Diego Padres just so happened to be on the receiving end of a few trend-busters from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday. Not only did Paul Skenes, who was mired in the worst slump of his big-league career, look more like the Skenes of old after throwing six scoreless innings, the Pirates were also able to touch closer Mason Miller, who’s proven to be one of the most unhittable relievers in all of MLB.

Miller faced the Pirates in scoreless ballgame to start the ninth inning and he got the first two outs of the inning quite comfortably, setting up a two-out confrontation with Pirates slugger Oneil Cruz. Cruz watched a near-101 MPH heater near the top of the zone go by for a called first strike, but he swung for the fences in the second pitch of the at-bat.

Cruz was all over a changeup from the Padres closer, which he then deposited to the right-field bleachers to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead, which eventually proved to be the final score. This was the first home run Miller allowed since the fifth of August in 2025 — making it over a year since he last allowed a long ball.

Oneil Cruz's homer was the first off Mason Miller since August 5th … of 2025! https://t.co/rdoyeDPf0H pic.twitter.com/obnXjM0J3H

— MLB (@MLB) August 26, 2026

Miller entered the night with an ERA of 0.81, and the recipe for victory for the Padres is simple — get the ball in his hands with the lead in their grasp. Alas, it just didn’t happen for San Diego on Tuesday even though everything seemed to line up for them on paper.

The 28-year-old being out on the mound is almost always a sign of victory for the Padres, but even the best have their off-nights. Miller did allow five home runs last year, so it’s not like he’s completely infallible. But considering how elite he’s been in 2026, it must have come as a shock to the entire Padres fanbase that they lost due to a home run the best closer in MLB allowed.

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