| Damian Miller | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Miller with theMilwaukee Brewers in 2005 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1969-10-13)October 13, 1969 (age 55) La Crosse, Wisconsin, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 10, 1997, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 2007, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .262 |
| Home runs | 87 |
| Runs batted in | 406 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Damian Donald Miller (born October 13, 1969) is an American former professionalbaseballcatcher. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 1997 to 2007 with five different teams, and was a member of the2001 World Series championArizona Diamondbacks.
Miller attendedWest Salem High School inWest Salem, Wisconsin and was a student and a letterman in football,basketball and baseball. Miller graduated from West Salem High School in 1987.
Miller attendedViterbo University inLa Crosse, Wisconsin, and as a junior was named theNAIA District 14 Player of the Year and helped lead his team to the NAIA semifinals.
Miller is not a member of theMajor League Baseball Players Association, as he was areplacement player during the1994 Major League Baseball strike. These players are barred from joining the players' union. His name also does not appear on any official commemorative merchandise from the Arizona Diamondbacks' 2001 World Series win.
Through his career, Miller has also played for theMinnesota Twins,Arizona Diamondbacks (winning the2001 World Series),Chicago Cubs andOakland Athletics. In May 2000, he hit the first walk-off grand slam in the history of bothChase Field and the Diamondbacks, doing so in the bottom of the 12th inning against Orel Hershiser of the Los Angeles Dodgers.[1] In Game 7 of the 2001 World Series he played a pivotal role in the 9th inning comeback against closerMariano Rivera. With no outs and pinch runnerDavid Dellucci on first base he bunted an 0-1 pitch right back to Rivera, who then attempted to throw toDerek Jeter at second base. Jeter would get tangled up in the legs of Dellucci who slid to break up the double play.Midre Cummings then pinch ran for Miller afterJay Bell’s failed sacrifice bunt turned fielder's choice. Cummings would score the tying run in the bottom of the ninth before Arizona ultimately won the World Series. Thefollowing year, Miller was named to theNational LeagueAll-Star team.
On June 27, 2007, in a home game against theHouston Astros, Miller hit his second careerwalk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to win the game for the Brewers. It was his first home run of the 2007 season. The walk-off came onLa Crosse Day atMiller Park.[2] In his next game, he recorded a franchise-tying sevenruns batted in, which included agrand slam and a two-runhome run.[3]
After becoming a free agent after the 2007 season, Miller attracted interest from a couple of teams, but declined, saying the Brewers were the only team he wanted to play for.[4]