Morning Sports Update
“He’s a force,” noted MLB Network’s Dan Plesac in a recent segment about the Boston reliever.
Red Sox reliever Erik Miller reacts after striking out Kyle Stowers of the Marlins. AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
August 25, 2026 | 11:33 AM
3 minutes to read
Erik Miller continues to step for the Red Sox bullpen: While the decision to trade highly-touted prospect Marcelo Mayer was possibly a difficult one for the Red Sox front office — Mayer had been the team’s highest draft pick in decades, and was seen at one point as a top-10 prospect in baseball — the payoff through the first few weeks has been the compelling dominance of relief pitcher Erik Miller.
Miller, 28, has notched 15 strikeouts in 9.1 innings (over nine appearances) since arriving via the trade on Aug. 3 along with minor leaguer Carlos Gutierrez. He has allowed only one run, and it was unearned.
He was particularly effective in the clutch on Monday, extracting the Red Sox from a tricky spot with two runners on in the eighth inning and the score tied at two.
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy made no effort to disguise his glee at Miller’s work since putting on a Boston uniform, calling him a “godsend” per MassLive’s Christopher Smith.
“He’s been everything as advertised,” Tracy explained. “He’s been so good for us since we got him.”
One of the reasons for it has been Miller’s increased control in recent weeks.
“He’s a force,” noted MLB Network’s Dan Plesac in a recent segment about the Boston reliever. “The issue with Miller when he was with the Giants, it’s never been about the stuff, it’s been about commanding the stuff.”
Plesac pointed out that Miller has drastically cut down on his walk rate (it was 6.1 with the Giants, but is now just 2.9 with the Red Sox).
“The guy that he was in San Francisco, that guy is gone because the guy they have right now is a strike-throwing machine with great stuff.”@Plesac19, Greg and Harold talk about Erik Miller with the southpaw posting a 0.77 ERA since June 5th. pic.twitter.com/dfLJI14xpm
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) August 24, 2026
“He just adds to an already deep bullpen,” Plesac concluded.
Boston is now 72-59, currently has a 6.5 game lead in the second American League wild card spot.
Trivia: Aroldis Chapman notched his 30th save of the season on Monday night. In doing so, he officially etched his name onto a short list of closers in history to record at least 10 seasons in which he collected 30 or more saves. Can you name the other three closers to do it?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: One pitched in Boston for parts of three seasons between 1988-1990, one famously used “Hells Bells” by AC/DC as his entrance music, and the third was born in Panama.
Scores and schedules:
The Red Sox defeated the Marlins 4-2 on Monday. The two teams play again in Florida at 6:40 p.m.
The Patriots close out the preseason on Thursday in Cleveland against the Browns at 8 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
Jack Harrison’s start in New England: The recently-signed Designated Player has made a strong impression so far. He has five assists in his first four games, a club record.
The first to 5️⃣
Jack Harrison has become the fastest player in Revolution history to register five assists for the club, doing so in just four games to surpass Revs legend Steve Ralston (7 games). pic.twitter.com/wOqwMTONs7
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) August 24, 2026
On this day: In 2012, the Red Sox and Dodgers pulled off one of the largest, most impactful, and yet strangest trades in recent MLB history. Though it technically came after the trade deadline, the deal was put together through the waiver wire (a system of transactions that existed until 2019).
The Red Sox, then 60-67 and 13.5 games out of first place, opted to make a deal that would give the team added payroll flexibility. The Dodgers, having only recently been bought for a record $2.15 billion price in March 2012 by a consortium under the title of Guggenheim Baseball Management, opted to be aggressive in acquiring high-prived veterans.
The result was the Red Sox sending Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Nick Punto and cash to the Dodgers for Iván De Jesús, James Loney, and Allen Webster. Rubby De La Rosa and Jerry Sands were eventually also sent to Boston as the “players to be named later.”
For the Red Sox, the trade proved to be the foundation of an improbable World Series victory the next season, while the Dodgers bolstered their roster and signaled a new intent on investment that has continued through the current season.
Daily highlight: He might not be every Red Sox fan’s favorite, but former Boston slugger Rafael Devers absolutely crushed a three-run home run for the Giants on Monday.
Trivia answer: Lee Smith, Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera
Hayden Bird
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.
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