That Friday night in Detroit, Miller provided an early and, as it turns out, fleeting example of his ability to dominate. The lefty allowed just one run on three measly hits while striking out six Boston hitters in seven innings.
He did this to a team that stood 11 1/2 games ahead of the rest of the competition in the American League East, and would eventually roll to a World Series crown.
He struck out Jason Varitek and J.D. Drew to strand Manny Ramirez at second in the fourth. He struck out Ramirez with a man on in the sixth. And he passed an 8-1 lead over to the bullpen before hitting the showers with the finest start of his young career making waves around the baseball world.
Miller had served notice.
Now, after things turned a bit sour for the dynamic southpaw, he has a chance to draw the attention of the Red Sox once more. This time, they will hope for similar results.
"That's the plan," Miller said Sunday when asked if his debut for Boston on Monday night is a chance for a rebirth. "I put in a lot of work to get here and I'm looking forward to carrying it over here."
Miller was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA after he made it look easy against the Sox that night. He was every bit the talent the Tigers coveted and took with the sixth overall pick just one year before. However, as is often the case with young pitching talent, he would hit some bumps in the road.
Miller went 1-3 with an 8.48 ERA down the stretch in '07, was swapped to Florida in the Miguel Cabrera deal and then had three inconsistent seasons with the Marlins before the Red Sox plucked him off the curb this winter.
The thought was that Miller would remain a long-term "project" in the sense that Boston just wanted to get him to harness his abilities, but had no immediate plans for how to use him. Often, those things have a way of working themselves out. That's what happened in recent weeks as Miller began to dominate at Triple-A Pawtucket while Red Sox righty Clay Buchholz began to succumb to a back injury.
And so, it was rather fitting Sunday afternoon that reporters first surrounded Buchholz to talk about being placed on the disabled list, and then made their way to Miller's rather empty locker to discuss the opportunity he has been given.
After posting a 1.78 ERA in his last four outings for the PawSox, Miller feels as if he has found that groove once again and is ready for a fresh start.
"I think it's just a combination of everything falling into place," he said. "I had a good program put in there and a good routine. … Right now I'm confident in the way I'm throwing the ball and just looking to keep it going."
How long he gets that chance remains to be seen. Buchholz is hoping to return when the team is in Houston in early July, and Tim Wakefield seemingly strengthened his hold on a rotation spot with an eight-inning gem just before Miller arrived on Father's Day.
But if Miller does what he has the potential to do, he will remain in the mix. As Boston manager Terry Francona said of Miller on Sunday, "There's a lot to like about this kid."
Francona should know. He was in Detroit on July 6, 2007.
