Cleveland Indians reliever Andrew Miller tossed 2.2 scoreless frames against the Toronto Blue Jays in Wednesday’s series-clinching Game 5, striking out one to give him a record-tying 14 in a League Championship Series, per MLB Stat of the Day.
His effort during the series played a major role in Cleveland’s victories and earned him MVP honors. Although Miller has been one of the more dominant pitchers in baseball over the last couple seasons, it took a long time for him to get there.
Miller began his major league career in 2006 with the Detroit Tigers and was on four different teams from 2007 to 2014. He began his career as a starting pitcher with the Tigers, the Florida Marlins and for one season with the Boston Red Sox.
The southpaw didn’t fare well in that role and made the permanent transition to the bullpen 2012. The move turned out to be a good one, as he managed to post a respectable 3.35 ERA in his first season out of the ‘pen. He’s only improved since then, posting four straight seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA and his best campaign in 2016.
Miller started the season with the New York Yankees, owning a 1.39 ERA over 70 appearances with the team before they dealt him to Cleveland prior to the trade deadline. His mark with the Indians during the regular season was 1.55, but that remains in elite status.
He’s been even more impressive in the postseason, having pitched 11.2 scoreless frames while striking out 21 and allowing just seven baserunners. While Cody Allen remains the team’s closer, Miller will be a key member of the team’s bullpen in getting it to the ninth inning as the Indians search for their first World Series victory since 1948.
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