Oneil Cruz ends Mason Miller's year-long home run drought

Mason Miller has been about as close to unhittable as a closer gets, and for over a calendar year that meant nobody could clear the fence off him. That ended on August 25, 2026, when Pittsburgh's Oneil Cruz lined a 98-mph fastball into Petco Park's short porch in right field for a go-ahead 2-run shot in the 9th.

Barstool Baseball

@StoolBaseball

CLEAR THE DECK A CRUZ MISSLE OFF MASON MILLER

The number that made this a moment: Miller hadn't allowed a home run in 73 consecutive appearances, a run that stretched back to Arizona's Lourdes Gurriel Jr. taking him deep on August 5, 2025. That's an absurd stretch for any pitcher, let alone a hard-throwing closer working high-leverage innings all season for a Padres team pushing for the playoffs.

Cruz, a Pittsburgh native going deep against a Padres team, delivered his 17th homer of the year on the play, and it was enough to send the Pirates to a 1-0 win over San Diego. For Miller, it's the kind of outcome that barely dents an otherwise dominant season, but the reaction online treated it like the end of an era.

Mintzy

@StoolMintzy

Mason Miller just allowed 1st homer in a full year. Maybe he’s human after all

"Maybe he's human after all" sums up the tone of the reaction — not panic, just a little disbelief that the streak actually broke. That's the trade-off with a run this long: at some point it stops being a stat and starts being a storyline, and the guy who finally ends it becomes part of the highlight regardless of the final score.

None of this changes Miller's standing as one of the game's premier closers, but it does reset the clock on baseball's next great homer-free streak watch. The Padres are chasing October, and how Miller responds in his next few outings — after having his signature stat snapped in walk-off fashion — will say more about this stretch than the homer itself ever will.