San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen has dismissed online speculation that closer Mason Miller tipped his pitches during a costly ninth-inning blown save against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, insisting the team has dedicated analysts monitoring signs and feels confident in its process.
Jackson Chourio delivered a two-out, two-strike, two-run single on Sunday, October 4, 2026, to cap a three-walk ninth-inning rally that gave the Milwaukee Brewers a 4-3 victory and a two-game postseason lead over the San Diego Padres.
Mason Miller joined the organization ahead of the trade deadline last season. His high-end arsenal features a fastball that can reach 104 mph and a slider, making him a formidable assignment for opposing hitters in late-inning situations. However, asking him to pitch beyond his customary one-inning role requires unusual exertion, with the closer having only been asked to secure six outs twice during the regular season prior to October.
Padres Dismiss Pitch-Tipping Speculation Ahead of Game 3
Social media buzzed with freeze-frames and video clips alleging that Miller was giving away his pitches through subtle habits in his set position, pointing to a take by Chourio on a low slider and Sal Frelick touching his neck prior to a pitch. Padres manager Craig Stammen brushed off the online theories when speaking to reporters at Petco Park on Monday afternoon.
We’ve got a crew of people that are dedicated to that every single day,
Stammen said, noting that studying signs and opposing tendencies forms a routine part of the club’s daily regimen. The internet can go crazy and take things farther than they need to go. We feel good about our process within that situation.
Mason Miller acknowledged reviewing the circulating videos and still images, singling out a 1-2 slider below the zone to Chourio as the one sequence that left him slightly unsure. Internet still images suggest his hand was perhaps a bit more visible out of his glove on his fastballs compared to his sliders.
“That just seemed like a really confident take.”
Mason Miller, San Diego Padres closer
Miller threw only 21 of his 40 pitches for strikes over a demanding two-inning outing. While he was dominant while retiring the side in order in his first inning, his control frayed in his second, leading to free passes that fueled the Milwaukee comeback. The bullpen asks Miller to stretch beyond a single frame, echoing a workload pattern seen previously on September 4 against the New York Yankees in a 10-inning win.
Brewers Deny Decoding Signs in Advance of Game 3
Brewers Gary Sánchez drew a walk in the ninth to keep the inning alive for Chourio and insisted through a translator that he remained entirely unaware of any pitch-tipping.
“I don’t know if he was tipping or not. Seriously, I don’t. And if he was, I wasn’t aware of it. Even if he was and we were aware of it, hitting 104 [mph fastballs] is not easy by any means.”
Gary Sánchez, Milwaukee Brewers, via Associated Press
Brewers manager Pat Murphy likewise denied that his club decoded signs in advance, though he acknowledged that deciphering an opponent remains an ongoing objective across Major League Baseball.
“I’d be not telling the truth if I didn’t tell you that it’s part of our game today in a big way.”
Pat Murphy, Milwaukee Brewers manager
Murphy credited the ninth-inning rally to the plate discipline of a Milwaukee lineup that finished the regular season ranked first in the majors in hits and second in walks, demonstrating advanced patience by taking no swings at a combined 17 pitches thrown to Christian Yelich, Sal Frelick, and Gary Sánchez.
