Justin Mark Miller (August 27, 1977 – June 26, 2013) was an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

, and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

. He also played in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) for the

Chiba Lotte Marines The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. History The Marines franchise began in 1950 as the Mainichi Orions, an inaugural ...

. Miller was the inspiration for the "Justin Miller rule" requiring pitchers with arm

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...

s to wear long-sleeved shirts.

Amateur career

Miller played in the 1992 Little League World Series with Torrance and played high school baseball with

Torrance High School Torrance High School is a high school located in Torrance, California. Founded in 1917, it is one of the oldest high schools in continuous use in California and is the oldest of the four high schools in the Torrance Unified School District. Four ...

, where he was first team All-State and Conference player of the year as a Senior. He attended

Los Angeles Harbor College Los Angeles Harbor College (LAHC) is a public community college in Wilmington, California. It is one of two community colleges serving the South Bay region of Los Angeles. LAHC serves mainly students from Harbor City, Carson, San Pedro, Ga ...

and was a Junior College All-American in 1997.

Professional career

Colorado Rockies

Miller was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 5th round of the 1997 MLB Draft and made his professional debut with the short-season Class A

Portland Rockies The Portland Rockies were a minor league baseball team that played in Portland, Oregon. The Rockies were members of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League for six years, from 1995 through 2000. Prior to relocating to Portland, the franchise pl ...

, helping them win the

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Basebal ...

championship. He then moved up to the

Asheville Tourists The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in differe ...

(Class A) in 1998 and the

Salem Avalanche Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, par ...

(Class A Advanced) in 1999.

Oakland Athletics

Miller was traded by the Rockies to the Oakland Athletics on Dec. 13, 1999 (along with

Henry Blanco Henry Ramón Blanco (born August 29, 1971) is a Venezuelan professional baseball coach and former player. He is currently the catching and strategy coach for the Washington Nationals. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1997 to ...

) for Scott Karl and

Jeff Cirillo Jeffrey Howard Cirillo (born September 23, 1969) is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball. In a 14-season career, Cirillo was a .296 hitter with 112 home runs and 727 RBI in 1617 games. He was named an All-Star in and . He ...

. He spent most of 2000 and 2001 with the AAA

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 ...

of the Pacific Coast League.

Toronto Blue Jays

Miller was traded to the

on December 7, 2001 (along with Eric Hinske) for

Billy Koch William Christopher Koch (born December 14, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was born in Rockville Centre, New York and went to West Babylon High School. He entered the majors with the Toronto Blue Jays and last pitc ...

. He made his Major League debut on April 12, 2002, for the Blue Jays against the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

. He pitched innings of relief, hitting the first two batters he faced, and allowing a total of four hits and one run. He made his first ML start on April 27 against the

Anaheim Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

, but lasted only innings while giving up four runs. He appeared in 25 games with the Blue Jays in 2002, starting 18 of them and finishing 9–5 with a 5.54

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

. He missed most of the 2003 season with a shoulder injury and returned in 2004, when he appeared in 19 games for the Blue Jays (15 starts) and went 3–4 with a 6.06 ERA. He then spent most of 2005 with the AAA Syracuse SkyChiefs, appearing in only one game for the Blue Jays.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Chiba Lotte Marines

He signed as a minor league free agent with the

in 2006 and appeared in five games for their AAA affiliate, the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

. He was then released and played for the

in Japan, pitching in twelve games.

Florida Marlins

After a three-game stint with the Philadelphia Phillies AAA affiliate, the

Ottawa Lynx The Ottawa Lynx were a Minor League Baseball team that competed in the Triple-A International League (IL) from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over 15 seasons, the team was an affiliate of the Montreal ...

, Miller signed a minor-league contract with the

. He started the season at Triple-A Albuquerque and was recalled by the Marlins on May 19, 2007, after an injury to

Ricky Nolasco Carlos Enrique Nolasco (born December 13, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida/Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, and Los Angeles Angels. He is of ...

. Although Miller had been a starter in previous seasons, the Marlins used him to fill a relief role, with former closer

Byung-hyun Kim Byung-hyun Kim (; or ; born January 19, 1979) is a South Korean former professional baseball pitcher. He had his most successful years with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Boston Red Sox. Kim is remembered for his role in the 2001 World Ser ...

taking Nolasco's spot in the starting rotation. The Marlins released him on October 3, .

San Francisco Giants

On November 1, 2008, the San Francisco Giants signed him to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. After an injury to Joe Martinez, he was added to the Giants roster and appeared in 44 games out of the bullpen (long relief), 3-3, with a 3.18 ERA, for the Giants in 2009.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Miller was signed to a minor league contract which included an invitation to spring training by the

on December 4, . He was assigned to the Triple-A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an e ...

to start the season. His contract was purchased by the Dodgers on May 27. He appeared in 19 games with the Dodgers, compiling a 4.44 ERA. He was designated for assignment on July 23. He cleared waivers and was reassigned to Albuquerque. In 32 games for the Isotopes in 2010, he had a 1.95 ERA. He was granted free agency on October 6.

Seattle Mariners

On November 17, 2010, Miller signed a minor league contract with the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

. He was released by Seattle April 25, 2011.

Texas Rangers

Miller signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers April 29. He was later released by the Rangers on June 6, 2011.

Return to Dodgers

On July 4, 2011, Miller signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He pitched in three games for the

, walking four and allowing two runs in innings for a 10.80 ERA. He was released on July 25.

Death

Miller was found dead in his

Palm Harbor Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

home on June 26, 2013. A cause of death was not announced. He was survived by his wife of 15 years, Jessica, and two sons.

Tattoos

Miller was known for his many tattoos. In a move sometimes called the "Justin Miller Rule", Major League Baseball told Miller that he had to wear a long-sleeved shirt under his jersey whenever he was playing because hitters complained about being "distracted" by Miller's

sleeve tattoo A sleeve tattoo or tattoo sleeve is a large tattoo or collection of smaller tattoos that covers most or all of a person's arm. There is a difference between an arm covered in tattoos and a sleeve tattoo: a sleeve tattoo has a unified theme, wherea ...

s.Klemish, Daw
"Notes: Nolasco to rest on disabled list"
"Miller is a colorful character in more ways than one: The 29-year-old's arms are all but hidden beneath vibrant tattoos. So much, in fact, that after opposing batters complained about Miller's arms being a "distraction" at the plate, in 2004, Major League Baseball established a rule that forced Miller to wear long sleeves whenever he played."..."I don't know," he laughed. "They just said it's the 'Justin Miller rule.'" ''

mlb.com MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports column ...

'', 2007-05-19. Accessed 2007-09-20.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Justin 1977 births 2013 deaths Albuquerque Isotopes players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Japan Asheville Tourists players Baseball players from Torrance, California Chiba Lotte Marines players Dunedin Blue Jays players Durham Bulls players Florida Marlins players Gulf Coast Marlins players Jupiter Hammerheads players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Los Angeles Dodgers players Los Angeles Harbor Seahawks baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers Midland RockHounds players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Ottawa Lynx players People from Palm Harbor, Florida Portland Rockies players Round Rock Express players Sacramento River Cats players Salem Avalanche players San Francisco Giants players Sportspeople from the Tampa Bay area Syracuse SkyChiefs players Tacoma Rainiers players Toronto Blue Jays players