ARLINGTON, Texas – Oakland A's right-hander Mason Miller can have established himself as one among the American League's best closers through the primary five months of the regular season.

But his September got off to a rocky start.

Josh Jung hit a three-run homer against Miller within the tenth inning to steer the Texas Rangers to a 6-4 win over the A's on Sunday.

This loss marked the second consecutive time the A's were hit by a walk-off hit, as Leody Taveras hit a game-winning single with one out within the ninth inning within the Rangers' 3-2 win over Oakland on Saturday.

Texas has won five of its six home games by walk-off since August 5.

Miller (1-2), the American League's winning pitcher on the All-Star Game in Texas this summer, managed a scoreless ninth inning and got the primary two outs within the tenth before Adolis García hit a 2-2 slider for an RBI single and Wyatt Langford got a walk after a four-pitch foul.

Then Jung hit a 101 mph fastball from Miller in the other way and just inside the best field pole for his fifth home run.

“For some reason, Langford always seems to be able to get to my fastball when it deflects,” Miller said. “And then during the at-bat (against Jung), I kind of lost the feel of my slider, which basically allowed him to eliminate that pitch and just wait for the fastball.”

Jung, who was playing in only his twenty eighth game since missing 102 games with a broken right wrist, wasn't sure the ball was gone until it landed just a couple of rows back.

“It's positive; it gets things moving in the right direction,” said Jung, who still regretted missing an RBI opportunity earlier in the sport. “I went out and started swinging too wide again, and it felt like I had corrected that just the other day. So it's great for me that I wasn't able to swing at 100 (mph) and turn it over.”

Oakland took the lead within the tenth inning against Matt Festa (3-1), who struck out his first two batters before Seth Brown hit a decisive RBI triple and Zack Gelof followed with a double.

Miller, who hadn't pitched since Wednesday, threw 34 pitches in his 1 2/3 innings because the A's finished their road trip with a 3-3 record. Their only loss in a three-game series against Cincinnati on Thursday also got here by walk-off, when TJ Friedl capped a three-run ninth inning with a two-run single within the Reds' 10-9 victory.

Miller entered Sunday with a 1-1 record this season and a 2.08 ERA in 52 innings over 44 games. His 23 saves were sixth-best within the AL.

“The last at-bat of the game is a fastball up and in. Jung got the ball with the barrel and it goes to right field,” A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “It's a tough loss. But we had the right guy on the mound and today it just didn't go the way we wanted it to.”

Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker each had 4 hits for the A's (59-78), who had runners on first and third base within the ninth inning before Shea Langeliers hit a ground ball into an inning-ending double play. Oakland had 16 hits and left 11 runners on base.

Corey Seager hit a one-out double in the primary inning for Texas (65-72) and scored on a double by García, who had scored 6 of 40 runs in his last 11 games. García hit one other double within the sixth inning when the Rangers loaded the bases without scoring.

The Rangers at the moment are 9 1/2 games out of the third and final wild card spot within the AL, but they clinched that spot and won the series against Oakland.

“They keep fighting, that's all I have to say about them,” said Bruce Bochy, who tied Bucky Harris with 2,158 wins and is eighth on the managerial win list. “When you're down two in extra innings, you've got your hands full with one of the best closers in the game.”

Squad additions

With MLB rosters expanded by two to twenty-eight players on Sunday, the A's recalled INF Tristan Gray from Triple-A Las Vegas and signed Janson Junk, who they acquired via waivers from Houston on Saturday. Texas recalled RHP Owen White and INF Jonathan Ornelas from Triple-A Round Rock.

Next

Athletics: RHP Osvaldo Bido (5-3, 3.21 ERA), who’s 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA in his last 4 starts, is scheduled to pitch in the primary home game against Seattle on Monday.

Mason Miller is the most recent in a protracted history of Oakland Athletics relief pitchers to be invited to the All-Star Game.

Oakland's lineage of All-Star relief pitchers is famous, including Hall of Famers Rollie Fingers and Dennis Eckersley, in addition to fan favorites akin to Grant Balfour, Sean Doolittle and Liam Hendriks.

Overall, Miller is the 14th reliever signed within the franchise's 57-year run in Oakland. The hard-throwing rookie right-hander won’t only be the last, but can also be unique amongst Oakland's all-time bullpen stars. His elite four-seam fastball is probably the greatest in MLB — by some measures, the best.

You can bet that Miller, 25, will take the mound at Globe Life Field sometime Tuesday night and wow his biggest crowd yet.

Miller has thrown the fourth-fastest pitch in the key leagues this season at 103.7 mph, trailing only legendary Pittsburgh Pirates fireball pitcher Aroldis Chapman (104, 103.8) and Los Angeles Angels rookie Ben Joyce (103.9), who broke the NCAA record with a 105.5 mph heater as a pitcher for the University of Tennessee in 2022.

But Miller's sheer volume of triple-digit fastballs is unparalleled. Through the weekend, Miller has thrown 299 pitches over 100 mph, 98 greater than the second-place player, Justin Martinez of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

But Miller is rather more than a tough pitcher. Excluding his three intentional walks, he has issued just 11 walks and 70 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings through the weekend. Opposing teams' hitters have a batting average of just .149 against Miller, the seventh-lowest of any MLB relief pitcher.

“I feel like Mason is different than a lot of closers,” said A's starter Paul Blackburn, who represented Oakland within the 2022 All-Star Game. “A lot of guys just throw hard and sometimes have trouble with control. Mason has control over a starter's closer stuff. That's scary to see. And it's fun to watch.”

Among qualified pitchers, Miller also has the very best average fastball velocity at 100.9, nearly a mile per hour ahead of Martinez. Joyce (101.6) leads all major league pitchers with at the least 100 pitches thrown, but has not thrown enough to qualify for the league's all-time list.

“He's throwing over 100, and those are the guys you can't try too hard with, you just have to keep it simple,” Boston's Jarren Duran, who faced Miller on Wednesday, told reporters at Fenway Park. “Those are the guys you try to pull yourself together and hit a home run, they'll just tear you to shreds.”

In addition, Miller's splitter also leads the MLB with a mean velocity of 97.6. Jhoan Duran of the Minnesota Twins is in second place with 96.8.

Miller's high-speed performances will not be without risk, in fact. He suffered a sprained ulnar collateral ligament after 4 appearances in 2023 and returned to the A's in early September after missing nearly 4 months.

In 2024, Miller became a full-time reliever, and the outcomes have been outstanding. In his first 32 appearances, Miller has a 2.27 ERA, 15 saves (the A's win Friday night was just their thirty sixth of the season) and a WHIP – the common of hits and walks per nine innings – of 0.857.

“You just can't feel that kind of adrenaline,” Miller said of his role as closer. “You feel the atmosphere, the fans, the moment in the game, the situation – all of that definitely counts.”

“Being able to put everything into one at-bat — I'm not saving anything, I'm not hiding anything. I'm going to do my best from the moment I step in the box. … In that moment, it just feels like all that competitive spirit is compressed into that one at-bat, that one inning.”

When Miller was chosen for the American League All-Star team on July 7, none aside from Fingers himself had high praise for Miller's achievements that 12 months.

“He's a big kid, he throws hard, he's got pretty good feel and he's got pretty good control. I think he'll be around for a while if he stays healthy,” Fingers said on NBC Sports Bay Area. “He throws really hard. He's got nasty stuff. I don't think I want to go against him. He'll be around for a while as a closer.”

Miller got here in as Oakland's starting pitcher and went seven hitless innings in his third profession start, however it looks like he'll stick around as a reliever. Miller was named the American League's Reliever of the Month for April and is also in contention for Rookie of the Year.

He has found his role and is playing it well: the A's next great closer.

“I'm proud of the work I've done. Seeing that on the field is almost my expectation of myself,” Miller said in May. “But when I do it myself on the big stage or watch a video, there are definitely moments where I think, 'I really did that.'”

Bruins

Brad Marchand has a whopping 150 playoff games under his belt.

With his one-timer faltering Saturday night, Boston's captain lit the lamp 56 times through the Stanley Cup playoffs. No Bruins player has scored more goals within the postseason.

Experience is a prized commodity through the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Teams place a high value on seasoned veterans who’ve already endured the physical and mental rigor required to secure hockey's most coveted prize.

But for all his accolades at hockey's highest stage, Marchand doesn't all the time imagine experience is the deciding factor relating to delivering within the playoffs.

Because when the 35-year-old Marchand won the Stanley Cup in 2011, he was a 23-year-old rookie – unencumbered by the pressure that understandably builds over time as NHL players push for a coveted title.

Thirteen years later, Boston's elder statesmen see one other Bruins rookie following the same script during playoff motion in 23-year-old defenseman Mason Lohrei.

“I remember my first run, it's pure adrenaline,” Marchand said after Boston's 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 4. “You go out there and you're so excited that you finally have the opportunity to do it.” You've worked and played this game your whole life, and the hours and time you've put in gives you a likelihood to play for the Stanley Cup.

“And that’s right in front of you. And it's just pure adrenaline. … Mason came in and played incredible for us. He made a lot of really good plays and jumped up in the game. He fights hard and plays strong defensively. So it’s great to see.”

Forced into the playoffs after an injury to Andrew Peeke and a scratch to Matt Grzelcyk, Lohrei played a key role in Boston's win on Saturday – he was a key helper on James van Riemsdyk's opening tally and logged 17:36 of ice time.

“How assertive he was,” Jim Montgomery said Sunday about what stood out about Lohrei's play in Game 4. “I mean, he was so good last night. With the puck, without the puck, he was all over the ice making plays and obviously he was a big part of why we won.”

It doesn't take long to know why Lohrei is taken into account Boston's top player in its potential pipeline.

His shot-first approach and playmaking attitude as a defenseman is probably not a whole outlier in today's skill-critical NHL. But few D-men can hit the bottom running and produce Grade-A looks while also boasting a sturdy 6-foot-1, 220-pound frame that ought to only increase over time.

After a quieter performance in Game 3 at Scotiabank Arena, Lohrei made a direct impact in the primary period of Saturday's win.

A heads-up play from the rookie arrange Boston's first goal as Lohrei made a save from the offensive blue line as Toronto stickman Ryan Reaves attempted to direct a puck over the boards.

Lohrei's pin caused Reaves to hurl the puck under duress, leading to a turnover on Class A ice, which van Riemsdyk promptly slipped past Ilya Samsonov and put Boston on the board at 15:09 of the primary period.

James van Riemsdyk scores his first goal since February. 17.

Brutal rally by the Leafs and JVR beats Samsonov by five.

1-0 Bruins. pic.twitter.com/XNZ0BxoLvT

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 28, 2024

It was an exhilarating move from Boston's young defender, whose confidence had been demonstrated earlier within the period when he attempted to beat Samsonov with a deft between-the-legs effort at 4-on-4.

Lohrei's creativity with the puck on his stick is welcome within the postseason. But to remain within the lineup, he must proceed to make the correct plays, avoid turnovers against forechecking pressure and limit the number of excellent probabilities in front of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark.

But after two games, the rookie appears to be as much as the duty.

“This time of year you have to belong and want to make a difference,” Marchand said. “And that’s what we seem to have in the group right now. …Him and Johnny (Beecher) and Parker (Wotherspoon) were unbelievable for us. And I think that’s just because they go out and play and have that belief in themselves.”

Forbort comes closer

Derek Forbort was not cleared for Games 3 and 4 in Toronto this week, however the 32-year-old defenseman took part within the warmups that led to Saturday's win.

Montgomery indicated the team will evaluate Forbort's availability for Game 5 after practice on Monday. But his participation in warmups marked one other box for Forbort in his recovery from surgery in March.

“It's about getting him into the routine in case he becomes an option,” Montgomery said of Forbort's performance during warmups. “Get used to the routine of how you prepare for the game and all those things. Engaging with your teammates, listening to the locker room – all of that is important to your preparation if you become an option down the road.”

Any clues about Boston's starting goaltender in Game 5?

“Find out Tuesday night,” Montgomery remarked.

Matthews still suffers from an illness

Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t provide a positive update on Toronto's star forward Auston Matthews on Sunday. Matthews didn’t play within the third period of Game 4 on Saturday because doctors ruled him out of the sport because of illness.

“We thought the last few days would help us” Keefe told reporters in Toronto on Sunday. “But for some reason it’s not one of those everyday illnesses that come and go. This one has lingered and the effects have lingered and are getting worse when he is on the ice and asserting himself.”

Matthews was one of the best player on the ice for Toronto through the Leafs' Game 2 win at TD Garden – he scored a goal and two major assists over 23:24 of ice time while recording eight shots on goal, a team-high six goals and… 16 of 23 Faceoffs won.

But Matthews was unable to hold this game through in Games 3 and 4 as he scored zero points with a complete of 4 shots on goal in each losses.