Bobby Miller gave himself just one rule as he returned to the majors for the first time in more than a year on Sunday .
"The mindset this year is just, don't be afraid to go out there and fail," the Dodgers pitcher said. "I've thrown really good games here. I've thrown some really bad games here. So at the end of the day … I'm just going to go out there and not be scared to fail, and see what happens."
In the team's 7-5 win over the Nationals , that mindset received the ultimate test.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Bobby Miller pitches against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Summoned with the score tied in the sixth on a night the Dodgers' pitching depth was running precariously thin, Miller found himself on the mound for three of the game's highest-leverage — and most dramatic — frames.
In his first inning of work, he pitched through an unheard-of Dodger Stadium rainstorm, in which he did well to limit damage to one run.
In the next two, he had to keep the deficit there to set up Mookie Betts ' decisive three-run homer in the eighth.
By the end of his three-inning, one-run, winning-decision outing, he had become the unexpected hero in a sweep-clinching victory .
On the same mound where he once looked like a star in the making, then faded amid stark regression and repeated injuries, he finally got to take a victory lap again.
"It's [been] a very difficult road, and I give him a lot of credit for continuing to fight and to be a part of this," manager Dave Roberts said.
"He essentially won us the game," echoed Betts. "It's great to see him out there after a couple years. His stuff looked great, confidence looked good. So he'll be a good piece for us."
Bobby Miller of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after striking out Daylen Lile of the Washington Nationals to end the seventh inning on Sunday, September 6, 2026, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images
Miller has not been talked about this way in long time, not since the promise of his breakout rookie campaign in 2023 (when he went 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA in 22 starts) was tarnished by a series of health- and performance-related detours in the three seasons since.
In 2024, the former first-round draft pick and top minor-league prospect developed a shoulder issue after a scoreless six-inning, 11-strikeout season debut, leading to an extended stint on the injured list and an 8.52 ERA in 13 games he pitched that year.
In 2025, he made just two appearances in the majors while transitioning to a bullpen role with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate.
This spring, the 27-year-old was slow-played in camp by a recurrence of his shoulder problem, then further delayed by a back issue that forced him to spend most of this season rehabbing at the team's Camelback Ranch facility in Arizona .
But over the last month, Miller looked good on a Triple-A rehab assignment, thanks in part to what he described as an "'F it' mentality" that amplified both his composure and stuff.
And with the Dodgers lacking a true starter for Sunday's game amid recent losses in their rotation, Miller was called up to be part of the night's pitching plan.
"It kind of caught me by surprise a little bit," he said of his big-league return. "But you know, any day to be in this locker room is truly a blessing with this team."
One outing, of course, will not reverse the downward trajectory of Miller's career.
The Dodgers' need for another fresh arm on Monday will likely mean that, despite his heroics against the Nationals , the right-hander will be sent back to the minors again.
At the least, though, Miller offered the organization a reminder of his presence.
"To continue to persevere," Roberts said, "that says a lot about the character."
At first on Sunday, it must have felt like the baseball gods were cursing the pitcher, unleashing a temporary — but torrential — downfall for only the first half-inning he pitched.
Bobby Miller of the Los Angeles Dodgers prepares to pitch in the sixth inning against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, September 6, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images
It almost led to disaster. Miller gave up a leadoff triple, then walked his next batter as the conditions quickly turned muddy and slick. However, he buckled down, inducing back-to-back groundouts that kept a run from scoring. And even though he didn't escape unscathed, clipping a batter with a curveball that slipped from his hand after the bases had been loaded by an intentional walk, his ability to limit the damage there kept the Dodgers, and himself, in the game.
"To get out of there with one run, with how my command was in that inning, pretty lucky for that," he said. "After that, I seemed to get my feet under me, got a little more comfortable, got the nerves out of the way. I think that was probably mostly it, not really feeling my legs much in that first inning. It's been a super long time."
Indeed, the rest of the outing was more straightforward. Miller punctuated a 1-2-3 seventh with a strikeout. He capitalized on Kyle Tucker's home run robbery in the eighth to retire the side in order again in the eighth.
"That was a big sigh of relief," Miller said. "And then it's like, 'All right, let's go attack this next guy, try to get this guy out as fast as I can out there, and just give the team a chance to win.'"
That's exactly what happened, with Miller following through on his reframed mindset to author a triumph, if only temporary, return to the majors.
"I've always had confidence in myself that I'm a big-league player, but I'm just grateful to get this opportunity, [for] the team to give me a chance," he said. "Sometimes, all you need is to be given a shot. And whatever happens from here happens. But I'm just grateful that I got my shot."
