Andrew Miller induces worst swing of the season with nasty slider

We here at The Stew have heard of the phrase “breaking ankles” in basketball, but it’s pretty rare to use the term when it comes to baseball. With that said, we just can’t think of another way to describe this beautiful slider from Cleveland Indians reliever Andrew Miller.

Allow us to set the scene: With the Indians up by one run in the ninth inning against the Oakland Athletics, the club turned to Miller to close things out. It was pretty evident Miller had his good stuff during the outing, striking out the first two hitters he faced on just seven pitches.

But it was Miller’s final pitch of the game that really stands out. With two outs, A’s outfielder Khris Davis stepped to the plate looking to tie things up with his 33rd home run of the season. He fared better than his teammates at first, working a 2-2 count against Miller. That’s when Miller threw one the nastiest pitches we’ve seen this season.

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Miller uncorked an 86 mph slider that traveled low and inside to the right-handed Davis. Davis clearly had trouble identifying the pitch, and managed a weak half swing while his front foot stepped away from the batter’s box. The result was an awful swinging strike that caused Davis to fall to the ground. It didn’t look pretty.

To make matters worse for Davis, this was the last pitch of the game. Miller secured the 1-0 victory on the pitch. That has to add to the embarrassment a little.

At the same time, can you really blame Davis here? Did you see the pitch Miller threw? It was nasty and in the perfect location. If you needed one quick clip that shows why Miller is considered one of the best relievers in the game, this is the one.

Still, we find it necessary to hold a moment of silence for Davis. At the very least, he’s icing his ankles after Miller broke them with the pitch. In a worst case scenario, the A’s are planning Davis’ funeral after Miller killed him with a nasty slider Monday night.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik