Padres’ spring training opener gave fans a Mason Miller preview that felt unfair

Spring training is supposed to be the gentle on-ramp. A little rust. A little “working on something.” Plenty of grace for pitchers who are still building up and hitters who are still finding timing.

Then Mason Miller jogged in on February 20 and immediately turned the San Diego Padres’ Cactus League opener into a reminder that some people are not here for the slow burn.

Mason Miller just made Padres spring baseball feel way less casual

Miller’s first spring outing  was basically a jump-scare: a clean inning, two strikeouts, and nine pitches at 100 mph or higher — because of course it was. The Mariners did manage a single off him, and it took one of their most exciting young bats, Lazaro Montes, grinding through triple-digit heat before finally poking a slider through. 

That’s what made it feel unfair. Not that the Padres lost a spring game 7-4 (who cares), but because Miller instantly gave everyone the same thought: Oh, so this is what the ninth inning is going to look like now.

It’s official. The Padres aren’t treating him like a fun experiment. New manager Craig Stammen already named Miller the closer for 2026. That’s the clean break from the Robert Suárez era — and with Suárez leaving in the offseason (signed a three-year deal with Atlanta), the Padres basically slid the keys across the table to the most intimidating arm in the major league. 

Closers like Miller change the mood of a whole season. They shrink games. They also make the sixth inning feel like the eighth.

Even better (or riskier, depending on your blood pressure): Miller’s year won’t just be about San Diego. He’s on the Team USA World Baseball Classic roster, which means the entire baseball world is about to get the same “unfair” preview Mariners fans just got. 

Spring training is supposed to be soft. Mason Miller is not.