Spencer Miles didn’t need a save to prove his value to the Blue Jays this season, but he got one anyway - and it came with a neat little bow on top.
The rookie right-hander recorded the first save of his major league career Tuesday night, closing out Toronto’s 5-3 win over the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 11.
He had to work around a one-out double to finish a scoreless ninth, but the moment never looked especially tense. Miles got the next two batters on ground balls and calmly finished the job.
That’s been the story of his season. Toronto brought Miles in as a Rule 5 Draft pick, and he has turned every kind of assignment into a useful inning. He has covered length, bridged games, made spot starts and now handled a late lead against a division rival.
The Blue Jays needed that help because the bullpen has been stretched thin. Louis Varland and the rest of the relief group have been running on fumes, especially since the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Toronto relievers have thrown 43.1 innings since then, the most in the majors over that stretch. Even with the heavy workload, the results have held up: a 2.91 ERA and a .214 batting average against.
Miles, though, had a little more left in the tank. He had only thrown three innings over the previous eight days before Tuesday, and in his three most recent appearances he worked three innings total, allowing two earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts. That freshness showed when he came out for the ninth.
He also has the kind of profile that makes a quick inning feel almost inevitable. Miles has a 52.1% ground ball rate this season, which ranks in the 90th percentile.
The save helped Toronto notch its fourth win in the last five games, and it came against a division rival while the Blue Jays are trying to close ground in the Wild Card race. Toronto is still a long shot at 58-63, but the club is only 2.5 games behind the third Wild Card spot, currently held by the 60-60 Texas Rangers.
For Miles, the rise has been striking. Toronto selected him from the San Francisco Giants in the Rule 5 Draft after injuries had slowed his climb through the minors. He did not pitch in the 2025 minor league season after Tommy John surgery, so his background came with more questions than certainty.
Instead, he has looked right at home. In 35 appearances, including four starts, Miles is 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP and 72 strikeouts in 76 innings. He also owns a 3.06 xERA, which ranks in the 87th percentile.
What has made him so useful is the range of roles he can handle. Toronto has leaned on him as a traditional reliever, a multi-inning arm and an occasional starter, and that versatility has mattered for a team that has spent the season managing injuries. Miles has given the Blue Jays a pitcher they can plug into almost any spot and trust to get through it.
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