ST. PETERSBURG -- Aaron Ashby’s postseason has not only been crucial to the Brewers’ success, but also historic.
With 2 1/3 perfect innings Tuesday in World Series Game 4, Ashby ran his playoff scoreless streak to 18 frames, passing Andrew Miller for the longest in a single postseason by a reliever, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Facing the heart of Tampa Bay’s order in the ninth inning of a 2-2 game at Tropicana Field, Ashby ran the count full on Jonathan Aranda before freezing him on a 98.3 mph sinker at the bottom of the zone. He then induced groundouts from Junior Caminero and Liam Hicks to ensure the first extra-inning World Series contest since last year’s Game 7.
After the Brewers went scoreless in the top of the 10th, Ashby returned to the mound to extend his streak another inning. He then recorded his third strikeout to open the bottom of the 11th before being replaced by right-hander Antonio Senzatela.
Ashby is the only pitcher in postseason history to record at least five outs in six or more consecutive appearances and not allow a run in any of them -- which he has done in seven straight games.
The longest postseason scoreless streak of any kind was 33 1/3 by Yankees closer Mariano Rivera from 1998-2000. Miller’s single-season streak was part of a run that spanned three postseasons and 24 1/3 innings, culminating in a 16-inning shutout string for Cleveland in 2016.
Not so long ago, Ashby seemed an unlikely candidate to break Miller’s record. A starting-pitching prospect for the Brewers, Ashby struggled to find his footing before missing all of 2023 due to shoulder surgery. A lack of success upon his return, including an 8.04 ERA at Triple-A Nashville the next season, prompted the Brewers to make him a reliever.
For the past two seasons, Ashby has thrived in that role, producing a 2.71 ERA over 118 appearances. But Ashby’s peak abilities have emerged in the postseason. Following a string of unsuccessful appearances early in his career, one even as recently as last October, Ashby has transformed into a playoff relief ace. In addition to pitching well, he’s been pitching often, sometimes even contributing multiple innings on consecutive nights. It has allowed him to rack up a lengthy scoreless streak over the course of this month.
In an age in which teams rely on their bullpens more than ever, that can be harder than ever to achieve. Most relievers become less effective once opponents have seen them twice, three times, even four or five times in a seven-game series. Just not Ashby. Not this postseason, anyway.
“He’s on one of those runs where he just feels good, everything’s going right, and you just try to ride that out as long as you can,” Miller said. “Right now, if he’s tired, he probably doesn’t really feel it. His mechanics, he picks up a ball, and his timing is right and he knows what he’s doing.”
Earlier this World Series, Ashby confirmed as much, explaining how he’s been able to contribute more than three outs in all but one of his postseason appearances. On three occasions, he recorded five outs, only to come back the next day and pitch again.
“I feel like we’ve built a solid foundation over the course of this season to have that volume to go out every night and do that,” Ashby said. “I don’t necessarily feel tired or fatigue in the postseason. When the crowd’s in it how they are, it’s pretty easy to feel loose.”
Those same types of things, Miller said, were key to his own streak in Cleveland in 2016. His run ultimately ended when Chicago’s Dexter Fowler, facing Miller for the third time in four games, homered to lead off the eighth inning of World Series Game 4.
Before that happened, Miller relied on the rhythm of regular postseason off-days to rest his body. He also took advantage of the natural adrenaline spikes that occur in October games, as well as a little luck. Often over the course of a long season, pitchers wake up feeling less than 100 percent no matter how diligently they’ve prepared their bodies.
“Right now,” Miller said, “I have a feeling [Ashby] wakes up every day and he feels pretty good.”