Adrián Morejón's Historic Heat Fuels Padres' Push Into October

September 27, 2026

Cuban left-handed reliever Adrián Morejón has emerged as a cornerstone of the San Diego Padres' bullpen as the team enters the 2026 postseason, which it clinched on September 24 with a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, according to MLB.com.

Morejón closed out the regular season with a 9-3 record, a 2.83 ERA, three saves and 107 strikeouts across 86 innings over 76 appearances, per Baseball-Reference. His performance sharpened as the year went on: from July 21 through the end of the season his ERA was just 0.45, the lowest in the majors among pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched in that span, OnCubaNews reported.

The 27-year-old from Havana also set a single-season record for left-handed pitchers, throwing 181 pitches clocked at 100 mph or faster. MLB.com noted that the Padres can now "turn Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon loose" at the back of their bullpen in October, pairing two of the game's hardest throwers for high-leverage innings.

Morejón signed with San Diego as an international free agent in 2016 and made his major league debut on July 21, 2019, against the Chicago Cubs, developing over several seasons into one of the sport's most effective relief arms.