Corner Brook native helps New Brunswick to national baseball championship

For his work in helping the Ironmen to the national title, Jay Miller (right) was named the tournament’s MVP. He’s shown here alongside Baseball Canada CEO Jason Dickson. CONTRIBUTEDArticle contentMoments after Corner Brook’s Jay Miller secured a groundball from a Quebec hitter and flipped it to his Chatham Miramichi Honda Ironmen first baseman, the celebration was on.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentAt Ironmen Field in Miramichi, N.B. on Aug. 24, Miller threw his glove in the air as he was swamped by teammates rushing the field to celebrate a Baseball Canada senior men’s championship.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentThey had just beaten Quebec to win the gold medal behind Miller’s complete-game, 12-strikeout performance.Article content“It all kind of started setting in in the later innings, and then we won it, and it was just a surreal feeling honestly,” said Miller.Article content Corner Brook native Jay Miller pitched his Chatham Miramichi Ironmen to the Baseball Canada men’s national championship over the weekend. Miller and the Ironmen beat Quebec 3-0 in the final. CONTRIBUTEDArticle contentPossible Newfoundland historyArticle contentChatham’s win brings with it a little bit of history for Miller. It’s believed he is the first player from this province to medal at the senior men’s championships since the Corner Brook Barons won bronze in 1991.Article content“It was a crazy feeling for sure knowing that it’s been a long time since somebody from Newfoundland won a medal,” he said.Article contentThe St. John’s Dirt Dawgs Senior Capitals represented the province at the tournament. They finished the tournament with a 2-3 record and bowed out of the tournament in the quarter-finals after losing to Ontario.Article contentThe Caps picked up wins over Manitoba and Nova Scotia.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentArticle contentHeck of a tournamentArticle contentMiller turned in a heck of a national championship. He made three starts in a short span, including Monday’s championship game.Article contentMiller went 3-0 in those starts while finishing with a 1.84 earned run average and striking out 34 hitters in 19 innings. In those three starts, he threw an incredible 309 pitches.Article contentThat performance was enough to earn him tournament MVP honours for the Ironmen.Article content“I was feeling pretty good,” said Miller. “I was making sure my body was feeling good all week, just trying to do whatever I could.”Article contentLike a familyArticle contentIt was an unexpected social message that brought Miller to the Ironmen in the New Brunswick Senior Baseball League (NBSBL).Article contentHe was on the way home from the University of Washington, where Miller played last season, and got a message to see if he’d be interested in playing.Article contentBefore then, Miller hadn’t thought much of playing baseball in New Brunswick, but he still said yes.Article contentAccording to him, it’s the best decision he could have made.