Mason Miller’s stunning Game 2 collapse may have had an explanation beyond simply losing command. The San Diego Padres closer appeared to potentially be tipping his pitches, giving the Milwaukee Brewers a possible advantage during the ninth inning of their 4-3 walk-off victory over San Diego.
The moment that has drawn the most attention involves Sal Frelick at second base and Jackson Chourio at the plate. Frelick appeared to make a motion toward his neck shortly before Chourio laid off a slider from Miller, raising questions about whether Milwaukee had identified a tell.
Did the Brewers figure out Miller’s pitches?
The video evidence is certainly intriguing. Miller appeared to position his hands differently in his glove depending on the pitch he was preparing to throw. One potential tell involved his hand moving closer to his belt line on fastballs, with his wrist more visible to a runner at second base.
That could potentially explain Frelick’s apparent signal from second.
Chourio’s at-bat only made the theory more interesting. After Miller threw a fastball at more than 103 mph, Chourio took a 2-2 slider that was significantly slower. Rather than chasing, he stayed disciplined and waited for another fastball, eventually lining a 101.3 mph pitch into center field for the game-winning two-run single.
However, there is no official confirmation that the Brewers were stealing Miller’s signs or definitively knew what pitch was coming. The evidence suggests it is a possibility, not an established fact.
Miller’s ninth-inning meltdown was more than one pitch
Regardless of whether Miller was tipping pitches, the ninth inning was an extremely unusual performance from one of MLB’s most dominant closers.
Miller retired the first batter of the inning before walking Christian Yelich and Frelick. After getting Andrew Vaughn to fly out, he walked Gary Sánchez to load the bases before facing Chourio.
Miller ultimately threw 40 pitches, his most in an appearance since joining the Padres, and surrendered the walk-off hit that gave Milwaukee a 2-0 NLDS lead. He also became the first Padres pitcher to blow a save in the postseason during the 2026 season.
Chourio said after the game that he recognized Miller was being erratic and was expecting him to eventually come back with a fastball. That doesn’t prove the Brewers had cracked Miller’s pitch selection, but combined with Frelick’s apparent signal, the video has certainly raised eyebrows.
If Milwaukee did identify a tell, Miller and the Padres now have an obvious problem to solve before Game 3.
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