Heels in MLB: Cleveland Indians’ pitcher Andrew Miller, MVP 2016 ALCS

How do you spell relief? Not with Rolaids. The Cleveland Indians spell relief with their relief pitcher, Andrew Miller. This Tar Heel has led the Indians to the 2016 World Series after they clinched the American League Championship Series (ALCS) over the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1. Miller was crowned the MVP of the 2016 ALCS.

In Game 5 on Wednesday night, Andrew Miller pitched two and two-thirds innings in which the Toronto Blue Jays were scoreless. Cleveland defeated Toronto 3-1 to secure a berth in the 2016 World Series. In seven and two-thirds innings, Miller struck out 14 of the 26 batters he faced.

For the entire 2016 postseason, Miller struck out a total of 21 hitters. Moreover, Miller finished the ALCS with three holds, one save, three hits allowed, no runs and no walks.

The interesting thing about Miller’s dominance is that he does not close for the Indians. He comes into the game, does his thing and takes a bow. The Cleveland Indians utilize Miller the right way and at the right time.

They maximize his skill set during the critical points in games, without tiring him out. This allows Miller is always fresh and ready to go the following game. In MLB postseason, baseball teams use only their best pitchers. Cleveland’s overuse of Miller literally earned them a trip to the World Series.

Miller became the fourth reliever to ever win the MVP award, joining Dennis Eckersley (1998), Mariano Rivera (2003) and Koji Uehara (2013).

As a result of his ‘beast mode,’ Miller received a great deal of love on Twitter. Here are several praises from Twitter:

Carolina Baseball (also known as the “Diamond Heels”) gave Miller props

ESPN correspondents got in on the bromance as well

Sports media on Twitter chimed in as well

The Cleveland Indians’ organization praised Miller several days ago, though their tweet still applies today

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Earlier this year, Andrew Miller was a member of the New York Yankees when he was a member of the 2016 American League All Star roster. The 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star game was aired on Fox, Tuesday, July 12 at 8:00pm. Several days later, the New York Yankees traded Miller to the Cleveland Indians despite his career season.

The Cleveland Indians paid a hefty price to acquire Miller. In exchange for Miller, Cleveland gave New York two top 100 prospects plus two other players.

The trade has paid off in more ways than one for Cleveland. Currently, Cleveland is playing the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series. Miller has gained a great deal of momentum during this postseason.

Miller played in consecutive games at a high level; something that has rarely taken place during the ALCS. Miller threw a lot of strikes while playing multiple innings. Talk about no rest for the weary. Check out these stats from Games One and Two of the ALCS:

For instance, in Game One of the ALCS, Miller threw one and two-thirds innings and 31 pitches on Friday. The following day, Miller threw two innings and 24 pitches in Game Two.

According to the New York Times, in 55 pitches during the 2016 ALCS Miller threw 31 sliders with 27 of these being strikes, 13 swinging, 10 looking and three fouls. Only one ball has gone into play, which was in Game One.

Miller’s go-to pitches are sliders. Yahoo Sports’ writer Jeff Passan said it best:

As a 6’7″ southpaw, Miller gives opposing batters fits. The Cleveland Indians are poised to be favorites in the 2016 World Series, largely due to Miller’s prowess.

Miller’s dominance gives new meaning to the popular phrase “Miller Time,” because the best pitcher in the World Series is a Tar Heel on the biggest stage in baseball today.