The San Diego Padres remain firmly in the National League playoff picture during the early part of the 2026 MLB season. The 25-18 ballclub enters Friday’s matchup against the Seattle Mariners only half a game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West.
The Padres’ success to start the season is in large part due to an elite pitching staff, led by a dominant bullpen. Leading this unit is superstar reliever, Mason Miller. The 27-year-old All-Star is putting up historic numbers to start the 2026 season, as he currently holds a 0.92 ERA with 18.3 K/9.
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San Diego Padres pitcher Mason Miller (22) © Chadd Cady-Imagn Images
Miller’s four-seam fastball averages an astounding 101.3 mph, and his strikeout ability has launched him into NL Cy Young award conversations. Miller would be the first reliever to win the Cy Young since Éric Gagné of the Dodgers in 2003.
As Miller’s profile around the league continues to rise, the standout closer recently announced a new partnership with Dexcom, a company specializing in glucose monitoring for people living with diabetes. Miller shared the announcement via an emotional video he posted to Instagram on Friday, documenting his journey from diabetes diagnosis to MLB dominance.
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Miller shared that he began to see symptoms of diabetes in his sophomore year at Waynesburg University. After taking a mandatory drug test for a summer internship, the testing lab notified him of his extremely high blood sugar.
Miller was taken to the emergency room and diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Prior to his diagnosis, he had suffered from severe fatigue and even lost over 20 pounds. After learning to manage the disease with his Dexcom device, Miller continued developing into one of Major League Baseball’s most dominant relievers.
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Mason Miller and the Padres begin a three-game series in Seattle on Friday night.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on May 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
