Mason Miller Chases .121 Mark and 55.7% Strikeout Rate
Mason Miller is putting up one of the most striking relief seasons in baseball. The San Diego Padres closer has held hitters to a.121 average allowed and struck out 55.7% of the batters he has faced in 2026.
That pace puts him in range for four records that still look reachable. He is also carrying a 1.04 ERA, and the numbers around him show why this season is being measured against some of the best relief work in the sport’s record book.
Miller’s Record Pace
analyst David Schoenfield identified eight reliever records Miller can chase this season, but only four look realistic. The Padres acquired him from the Athletics at last year’s trade deadline, and he has been awesome for San Diego this year.
The two strongest pursuits are the batting average allowed and strikeout rate marks. Kirby Yates set the low for batting average allowed in 2024 at.113 with the Texas Rangers, and Miller is at.121. Aroldis Chapman owns the strikeout rate record at 53.5%, while Miller has reached 55.7%.
Craig Kimbrel And Eric Gagne
Miller’s.285 OPS allowed gives him a shot at another rare mark. Craig Kimbrel allowed a.358 OPS in 2012, the standard Miller is chasing.
He also has a chance at the saves-without-a-blown-save record, though Schoenfield answered that one with a cautious “Maybe?” Eric Gagne went 55-for-55 in 2003 to set that mark, and Miller is on pace for 50 saves this year.
Francisco Rodriguez And Zack Britton
Two of the biggest relief records are much farther away. Francisco Rodriguez set the saves record with 62 in 2008, and Schoenfield’s answer on whether that is within reach was “No,”
The strikeouts-in-a-season record sits even farther out. Dick Radatz struck out 181 batters in 1964 and threw 157 innings in that season, while Miller is on pace for 151 strikeouts but will not approach 100 innings, let alone 150. Schoenfield gave that chase a “No,” and Miller’s current 1.04 ERA still leaves Zack Britton’s 0.54 mark from 2016 standing out as another standard that is out of reach.
For Miller, the season now reads like a record watch centered on rate stats rather than volume. The batting average and strikeout-rate marks are the clearest targets, and the rest of the chase narrows quickly once innings and save totals enter the picture.
