The Los Angeles Dodgers ended their Spring Training schedule with a 5-0 win over the L.A. Angels in the exhibition Freeway Series finale. Bobby Miller got the start on his 23rd birthday and was nothing short of impressive, allowing just one hit across three scoreless innings.
“More than anything I could’ve asked for out there,” Miller said of his outing. “Best birthday I’ve had so far. Being able to pitch in Dodger Stadium has been my dream my whole life.”
Miller threw 55 pitches (29 strikes) and gave the Angels lineup a steady dose of four-seam fastballs. His heater reached triple digits on several occasions and averaged 99.3 mph for the night.
“It felt good. Maybe I got a little bit too amped up, which could’ve impacted landing offspeed pitches,” Miller said. “I just got to learn to calm myself down a little bit more and command those offspeed pitches to make them respect it a little more.”
Miller’s first pitch of the game was a 100.2 mph fastball to Shohei Ohtani. The reigning American League MVP worked the count full before being called out on strikes as Miller pinpointed another triple-digits fastball.
“Definitely a little nervous going into it,” Miller said of his first encounter with Ohtani. “That’s an MVP right there. Tons of respect for that guy. It was great.”
After a dominant start against the Angels, Miller now heads to Double-A Tulsa for the start of the 2022 Minor League season. He could very well make his MLB debut at some point this year, which is something Dodgers manager Dave Roberts previously suggested.
“That means the world to me. Still, I can’t just focus on that,” Miller began. “Obviously that’s on my mind. I want to make it to the big leagues and stay here for a long time, so just got to focus on being the best person I can be, the best player I can be, the best teammate I can be, and we’ll see what happens.”
Roberts thought Miller handled emotions
Roberts felt Miller not only impressed with his stuff, but also with the way he handled himself on the mound. “Bobby was great,” Roberts said. “Obviously the stuff was really good. It’s always nice to see 100 (mph) out of the gate, but I just thought the way he handled himself, the poise was really good.
“Three scoreless innings on his birthday, obviously you know the adrenaline and emotions, but he was very calm and very poised.”
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