Justin Miller is a Relief Pitcher on the Edge
Success and Failure are a Pitch Away for Most out of the Bullpen
Any pitcher coming out of the bullpen in the late innings is usually charged with slowing down a hot-hitting opponent and preserving a slim advantage. One mistake and it's goodbye victory, hello crushing defeat. At home, they usually hear about it too.
Ask San Francisco Giants' reliever Justin Miller, a hard throwing right-hander who took a devastating, extra-inning loss in the late August division race and came back to get a win two days later.
"Oh yeah, I can hear them," Miller said of the booing when he entered a game at AT&T Park for the first time since the setback. "It's part of the game. I know where they are coming from but at the same time I know what I am capable of."
Baseball's Chin Music
Miller, originally drafted by the Giants in 1995 but did not sign, has done quite a bit of traveling during a 12-year professional baseball career. He's pitched for six major league organizations and in Japan.
Miller was a starter with the Toronto Blue Jays and returned from Japan as a relief pitcher for the Florida Marlins. He's been in every conceivable situation on the mound and understands how failure becomes intertwined with success.
On a balmy August night in Denver, Miller entered a game in the bottom of the 14th inning with the Giants holding a 4-1 advantage. He pitched to three batters, giving up a hit and walking two, including pitcher Adam Eaton, who faced the ire of the fans after giving up three runs in the top of the frame, to force home a run.
Merkin Valdez relieved Miller and gave up a game-winning grand slam.
"That wasn't me," Miller said later. "I just had to look forward to the next one."
Confidence Important for a Pitcher's Mind
Relief pitchers are endowed with the power of a short memory. A disaster must be left behind, or things could escalate.
"Confidence is something you absolutely have to have," Oakland Athletics left-hander Dallas Braden said earlier this season. "If you start to second guess yourself, things start to spin around in your head."
Miller's chance to get his groove back came two days later, on the eve of his 32nd birthday. He was asked to hold the Arizona Diamondbacks at bay in the eighth inning of a contest the Giants trailed, 3-1.
Miller, with the home crowd booing as he entered the game, allowed a single to shallow center but also got two infield grounders and a strikeout to keep the game in had.
"I felt good," he said. "I felt confident."
In the bottom of the eighth, Bengie Molina delivered a pinch-hit, three-run homer to give Miller and the Giants the victory. Such is the life of a relief pitcher.
Diamondbacks' pitcher Chad Qualls gave up the home run, taking the loss after starter Dog Davis pitched effectively for 7 2-3 innings.
"Doug threw too good of a game to deserve this," Qualls said. "He goes out there and throws a gem for 2 1-2 hours and I go out there and mess it up in three pitches."
Traveling the Baseball Circuit
Miller wasn't even assured of a roster spot at the beginning of the year. He signed a minor league contract with the Giants last November and was invited to spring training, where he earned his chance.
The heavily tatooed pitcher (He was forced by major league baseball to wear long arm sleeves when he pitched, thus creating the "Justin Miller Rule.") spent the first five years of his pro career being traded from the Rockies' organization to the Athletics via the Milwaukee Brewers to, finally, the Blue Jays, for whom he made his major league debut in 2002.
After the Blue Jays granted him free agency, he went to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who released him early in the 2006 season, which led to his Japanese experience.
Returning to the United States, he was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies, who then released him 10 weeks later. He spent the last two years with the Florida Marlins.
Tattoos have become a part of baseball culture, with Miller the superstar. His upper body, including torso, both arms and his knuckles, are covered with various meaningful, and silly, tattoos.
As a result of his recent struggles against Colorado, Miller's Earned Run Average soared more than a run. Even at that, he takes a sub 3.00 ERA into September. Not bad for a relief pitcher.
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