Brewers' Misiorowski Makes History, Now Chases World Series Glory
MILWAUKEE — Jacob Misiorowski just finished one of the greatest regular seasons any pitcher has ever thrown. Now the 24-year-old flame-thrower has his eyes on the only prize that matters in Milwaukee: a World Series title.
Misiorowski capped his historic campaign Sunday with two hits allowed over 5 1/3 scoreless innings in a 6-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. The victory pushed the Brewers to a franchise-best 103-59 record, and Misiorowski enters October as the clear ace and a Cy Young Award favorite.
What made Misiorowski's regular season historic?
The numbers are staggering. Misiorowski led all of Major League Baseball with a 1.80 ERA, 252 strikeouts, and a .157 opponent batting average. Only three pitchers since 1950 have led the league in all three categories in the same season: Sandy Koufax in 1965, J.R. Richard in 1976, and Mike Scott in 1986.
His .157 opponent batting average is the lowest for any American or National League pitcher with 100 or more innings since 1900, beating Pedro Martinez's .167 mark from 2000. His 0.80 WHIP is the lowest in a full season since Martinez posted 0.73 in 2000.
Misiorowski also became the first Brewers pitcher ever to lead the league in both ERA and strikeouts in the same season. His 252 strikeouts rank second in franchise history behind Ben Sheets' 264 in 2004.
How does Misiorowski throw so hard?
The man throws heat like nobody else. Misiorowski fired 1,115 pitches at 100 mph or faster this season, the most since tracking began in 2008. The previous record was 673 by Jordan Hicks in 2018. He shattered it by nearly double.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy has never seen anything like it.
“Have I ever seen a year on the mound like that in the major leagues? Probably not. It's as good as I've seen,” Murphy said.
Second baseman Brice Turang echoed that sentiment.
“What he has is a gift. It's really incredible to stand there behind him and watch him do what he does,” Turang said.
What matters most to Misiorowski?
For all the historic numbers, Misiorowski pointed to something simpler: 30 starts. That's how many times he took the ball for his teammates in his first full big league season.
“Honestly, being able to go in week in and week out and perform for my teammates, I think that's the biggest thing,” Misiorowski said.
He added:
“That number, I think it's cool. It's not 100. It's not 101. It's a little bit more than that. It just shows the work these guys in here have put in and done throughout the season.”
Can Misiorowski lead the Brewers to their first World Series?
The Brewers are heading to the playoffs for the eighth time in nine years. But they've never won it all. Their lone World Series appearance came back in 1982.
Milwaukee has home-field advantage throughout the postseason for a second straight year. Misiorowski is expected to start Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday against either the Chicago Cubs or San Diego Padres.
Last year, Misiorowski worked out of the bullpen in the playoffs, posting a 1.50 ERA with 16 strikeouts over 12 innings. The Brewers beat the Cubs in the NLDS before getting swept by the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.
This time, he's the man. And he says he's been ready for a while.
“That flipped a while back. We're ready to go,” Misiorowski said.
The sellout crowd at American Family Field gave him a standing ovation as he left the mound Sunday. He tipped his cap. He knows there's more work to do.
“That was fun. That was cool. Hopefully there's a few more like that,” Misiorowski said.
The regular season is history. Now it's time for October. And in Milwaukee, they're dreaming of something they've never seen: a championship.