SAN DIEGO -- The Padres named Mason Miller their closer last month, the latest in a long tradition of elite closers in San Diego.
And any elite closer deserves an elite closer entrance. Miller debuted his on Saturday night.
Entering the ninth inning of the Padres’ 3-0 victory over the Tigers, the lights at Petco Park shut off. An image of a reaper -- Miller’s nickname -- appeared in black and white on the scoreboard. Korn’s “Blind” blared through the ballpark’s sound system.
Predictably, the ballpark went nuts. Miller entered through the bullpen gate to the metal song, as the stadium lights went on and off with the music. He proceeded to retire the side with a pair of strikeouts, finishing the Padres’ first win of the season.
Miller was the Padres’ setup man last year, after his arrival from the A’s at the Trade Deadline. But when Robert Suarez signed with Atlanta, Miller was immediately promoted to the closer role. He was asked about his potential entrance music prior to the season.
Miller refused to tip his hand, but noted he’d left it mostly in the hands of the team’s clubhouse attendants. (The same way Trevor Hoffman did it, when AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” became a San Diego staple.)
“The song’s not for me, it’s for everybody else,” Miller said. “I hope everybody else enjoys it.”
Based on the reaction from Saturday night, everyone else seemed to enjoy it -- except the Tigers’ hitters.