SAN DIEGO — Padres closer Mason Miller had no idea whether he’d be returning to work Wednesday, or whether his next appearance would be in 2027 spring training.
He spent the entire day Tuesday with his wife, Jordan, as she gave birth to their first child, a boy (Lincoln), and forgot to even check on the outcome of the Padres game until they were about to crawl into bed.
The midwife, who was assisting, happened to be a Padres fan, and delivered the news.
The Padres had won, 4-3, over the Milwaukee Brewers.
They were still alive, staving off elimination in the National League Division Series.
So Miller got up Wednesday, kissed his wife and baby goodbye, and reported for duty, feeling invigorated.
“It’s an amazing feeling,’’ Miller said. “Couldn’t ask
for a better experience. Everybody says it changes your life, it definitely does. …
“All the aches and pains of the season, they kind of look like not a whole lot right now after seeing what Jordan went through.’’
The biggest shock after experiencing the birth of his son came when he asked the midwife how the Padres won: “Who got the save, Adrian Morejon?’’’
Uh, no, he was told.
Morejon didn’t even pitch. He was unavailable with a tired shoulder. It was ace Michael King who came out of the bullpen 48 hours after he started Game 2 to pitch the final two innings and record his first save in three years.
“I’m like, 'Oh my God,'" Miller said. “At that point, I was not in a state to process it. Michael is a phenomenal teammate, phenomenal person, phenomenal pitcher."
And the Padres’ season was alive for at least another day, trailing 2 games to 1 in the best-of-five NLDS.
“There is nothing better than laying there with your baby and your wife,’’ Miller said, “celebrating everything that went into this."
@sportsseriously Padres’ All-Star closer Mason Miller discusses the support from his team while he was out for the birth of his child #mlb #padres #baseball #sandiego #playoffs
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Miller, heavily favored to be the National League reliever of the year, knew he was leaving his teammates in a rough spot Tuesday. He may be their most valuable player. Lincoln originally was due in another week, Oct. 15, but with Miller and his wife deciding to have a natural childbirth, they knew it could happen at any time.
“You never really get to choose when it’s going to happen…,’’ Miller said, speaking for about six minutes in front of the Padres’ dugout 3½ hours before the first pitch of Game 4. “We’ve had a couple of scares where we thought it might be happening. So, like, earlier in the day, we’re like, 'Yeah, maybe.’ And then as the day went on, we were feeling pretty good that this is going to be happening today."
Miller telephoned Padres manager Craig Stammen, informed him that he wouldn’t be able to make it, and spent the afternoon with his wife, who was in labor the entire afternoon. Lincoln was born during the game, with Miller completely shutting out the outside world.
“It didn’t feel like I was in the right state of mind to put the game on ….,’’ Miller said. “I felt like I was pretty transparent that, kind of regardless of the situation, I really wanted to be there for the birth, and everybody’s super supportive of that. Teammates, coaches, front office, everybody. So I’m super grateful for that, and super grateful that everything worked out in a way that I was able to be there.
“It’s a great feeling knowing that the boys pulled through. … We won. And we’re still playing baseball.’’
The only thing missing was celebratory cigars, with Miller having no time to stop at the store to pick up any to celebrate being a first-time father.
“Maybe,’’ he said, “after we finish this.’’
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Mason Miller learned Padres survived after wife gave birth to baby boy
