MILWAUKEE – Right now, the most captivating spectacle on any baseball diamond is Jacob Misiorowski, the Milwaukee Brewers’ dominant right-handed talent. At just 24 years old, he has established himself not only as the premier pitcher globally for the 2026 season, but also as the most physically intimidating presence on the mound.
On Friday afternoon at American Family Field, Misiorowski went head-to-head with veteran lefty Chris Sale, an elite master of his trade who is 13 years older than the young Brewers star. This matchup was far more than a battle between elite starters; it represented a high-stakes showdown between two of MLB’s powerhouse franchises. The sell-out crowd of 40,130 fans—the 16th capacity crowd in Milwaukee this year, achieved on a weekday afternoon—fully appreciated the postseason-like atmosphere of this late summer contest.
Aside from the critical 2-1 victory for Milwaukee—vital for a Brewers squad fighting off Chicago to clinch home-field advantage throughout October, and a Braves team striving for a first-round postseason bye—any game featuring Misiorowski on the hill is a must-watch event, regardless of who is in the opposite dugout. For those who tuned in, here is a breakdown of how his dominant performance unfolded.
First Inning
Positioning himself on the first-base side of the pitching rubber, Misiorowski launched his outing with a blistering 101.8 mph heater inside to Atlanta’s leadoff threat, Ronald Acuña Jr. The hard-throwing righty relied entirely on his fastball for all five pitches of the plate appearance, with each registering in triple digits and four missing the strike zone. Acuña managed to spoil the lone strike on the outer black before taking his base on a walk.
Normally, we would highlight a starting pitcher transitioning to the stretch with a runner on first. However, Misiorowski is a rare breed who utilizes the stretch exclusively. Given his towering frame, long reach, and explosive pitch arsenal, simplifying his delivery seems to be the most effective strategy. The phenomenal outcomes speak for themselves, serving as another testament to Milwaukee’s exceptional reputation for developing elite pitching talent.
For his sixth delivery of the afternoon, Misiorowski finally veered away from his heater, throwing a sharp 98-mph cutter to Drake Baldwin. Two pitches afterward, he unveiled his slider for the first time. This wasn’t his maximum-velocity slider, which has reached an astonishing 98 mph earlier this year—a speed where the line between a slider and a cutter starts to blur. If classified as a genuine slider, Misiorowski is responsible for 49 of the 50 hardest-thrown sliders ever tracked. Whether a 98-mph breaking ball eclipses the awe of his 104-mph fastball is up for debate, particularly depending on its classification. Since there is no doubting the nature of his triple-digit heater, it remains the easiest showcase of his superhuman power.
The young ace registered his opening strikeout of the afternoon by painting the outside corner with a 101.6 mph fastball to freeze Baldwin.
While pitching from the stretch is designed to keep baserunners at bay, Misiorowski’s elite ability to suppress the running game often goes underappreciated. Consider this detail:
Acuña attempted a delayed steal, making the resulting out a combination of a risky base-running choice and the elite arm strength of catcher William Contreras. While Contreras ranks among the premier defensive catchers in keeping runners honest, Misiorowski deserves credit as well; he has surrendered just a single stolen base all year, tying him with Ryan Weathers for the fewest allowed among qualifying pitchers.
Moments later, the righty finished the inning by getting Matt Olson to chase a sharp slider down and in. Though Misiorowski generally deploys his slider three times more frequently against righties, Olson’s strikeout proved he can effectively utilize it as a devastating back-foot putaway pitch against left-handed hitters. Registering at 91.8 mph, this delivery was undeniably a pure slider.
Second Inning
While it appears inevitable that Misiorowski will eventually throw a no-hitter, that achievement would have to wait. With two retired, Mauricio Dubón lined an 0-2 heater into right field for a base hit. Clocked at 103.1 mph, this was his fastest pitch of the afternoon, marking his first foray into his legendary velocity peaks.
Generating that kind of speed as a starter is tough enough on hitters, but his release point makes it even more overwhelming. Standing 6-foot-7, Misiorowski reaches an incredible 7.6 feet down the mound on average before letting the ball go. This exceptional extension ranks him in the top one percent of all Major League pitchers.
Here is an informal snapshot of where Misiorowski was landing in the opening frame, taken from the press box at American Family Field:
And this is the view from the fourth inning, after Sale had also left his cleat marks on the mound:
As the visual shows, the 6-foot-6 Sale was landing significantly further back on the mound than his counterpart. Sale averages a solid six and a half feet of extension, placing him in the 59th percentile, but his deceptive crossfire angle limits his forward stride compared to Misiorowski’s deep push down the hill.
This brings us to the concept of perceived or effective velocity. Batters already face an uphill battle trying to react to Misiorowski’s heater, but the extremely late release point shortens their decision time even further. While his radar gun average sits at 100.6 mph, his immense extension boosts his effective velocity to a mind-boggling 103.1 mph. His high leg kick, which brings his knee up to his chest lettering, gives him the leverage needed to explode forward with a massive stride toward home plate.
Discussions of Misiorowski’s velocity naturally invite comparisons to historical fireballers like Aroldis Chapman or modern relievers like Mason Miller. While Miller actually outpaces Misiorowski on pure radar velocity with a 101.5 mph average four-seamer, his lower extension yields an effective velocity of 102.4 mph. Miller’s raw numbers are higher, but major league hitters would likely agree that Misiorowski’s fastball feels like the fastest pitch in the sport.
He got Dominic Smith to pop out on a 2-1 count, leaving Dubón stranded and wrapping up the frame.
Third Inning
In the third frame, as he faced the top of the Braves’ lineup for the second time, Misiorowski shifted to a slider-heavy strategy. Out of the 11 pitches thrown, only three were heaters. Considering he normally throws his four-seam fastball over 60 percent of the time, this was a notable variation. Like much of the league, Atlanta struggles more against breaking pitches than straight speed. Misiorowski tapped into his off-speed pitches early, likely because Milwaukee plans to manage his innings carefully regardless of how well he is performing. The Brewers have kept him on extra rest to protect his arm as his season workload grows, ensuring he remains fresh for a deep playoff push.
After keeping Austin Riley off-balance with three consecutive sliders, Misiorowski blew a fastball past him for a strikeout. Facing the number nine hitter, Mike Yastrzemski, the right-hander showcased his curveball for the first time. Although the curve is statistically his most effective pitch for generating empty swings, this particular one hung over the inner half, allowing Yastrzemski to line a single to right. Fortunately, quick first-pitch grounders from Acuña and Baldwin quickly shut down the threat.
Fourth Inning
Armed with a new 2-0 lead, Misiorowski benefited from a successful automated ball-strike challenge by Contreras, who overturned a ball into a strike at the letters to get ahead of Olson. Leaning heavily on his fastball once again, Misiorowski missed with three straight pitches before roaring back with consecutive swinging strikes. On a 2-1 count, Michael Harris II made solid contact against a 99.7 mph high fastball—the first hard-hit ball of the game—but center fielder Luis Lara made a brilliant running play to take away extra bases. The perfect 16-pitch frame was completed when Ozzie Albies flew out.
Fifth Inning
Given his lack of a sinker and reliance on elevated four-seamers, one would not expect Misiorowski to be a groundball pitcher. Yet, he boasts a 45.1 percent groundball rate, placing him in the 64th percentile league-wide. His off-speed pitches consistently yield more grounders than their shapes would suggest. This was evident in the fifth when Dubón started the frame by hitting a grounder to second baseman Brice Turang off a cutter. Even though the pitch was up in the zone, its late movement caused Dubón to hit over it, resulting in a negative launch angle.
Another grounder followed, but Dominic Smith’s hit managed to find a hole in the right side. Facing Riley again, Misiorowski altered his pattern by mixing high heaters with sweeping sliders to record another strikeout. The Braves threatened when Yastrzemski walked on four pitches—a rare lapse for the Brewers ace. Despite throwing with overwhelming, electric velocity, Misiorowski commands his pitches incredibly well, walking a mere 6 percent of batters. This rare walk set up a high-leverage matchup against Acuña with two runners on. On a 1-2 count, Misiorowski set up the former MVP with an elevated fastball before spinning a beautiful low slider, inducing another grounder to shortstop to escape the jam.
Sixth Inning
Remarkably, Misiorowski has limited opponents to an incredibly low .122/.230/.194 slash line during his third pass through the order this season. Nonetheless, the traditional advantage favors the hitters in late innings, and the sixth inning would test the Brewers’ young star.
He began by catching Baldwin looking for a strikeout on his sixth pitch. Olson was up next, and Misiorowski quickly jumped ahead 0-2 by spotting a back-door slider followed by an inside breaking ball. Olson battled back to a 2-2 count and absolutely crushed an elevated fastball deep to center field. Fortunately, Lara was perfectly positioned to make the play:
Though Olson’s drive carried a projected hit probability of .770, it ultimately went down as a loud out. Right after, Harris lined a sharp double to right against a slider, prompting a brief conference on the mound. Albies then flew out to close the frame. Sitting at 96 pitches, Misiorowski had reached the end of his outing, especially as his final few pitches showed a dip in velocity, with his heater dropping to 97.2 mph and his cutter to 94.7 mph. Fatigue often leads to mechanical breakdowns, making it vital to protect players with such unique arm speed. While he had to battle through the final inning, his outstanding effort kept the Braves off the board.
His final pitching line:
Following this start, Misiorowski’s season numbers stand at a spectacular 1.68 ERA and a 2.14 FIP over 145 innings of work. He has racked up 216 strikeouts, translating to an astonishing 39.3% strikeout rate—an unprecedented mark for a starting pitcher of his age. These metrics place him at the absolute top of the Major Leagues in almost every key category.
Though Atlanta managed to score a run off Milwaukee’s relievers in the eighth and put pressure on them in the final frame, the brisk two-hour and 21-minute defensive showcase concluded exactly as anticipated. The game belonged to the stronger collective unit and, on this particular day, the superior starting pitcher. Spurred by Misiorowski’s masterclass, the Brewers became the first team in Major League Baseball to reach the 80-win milestone this season.
With such elite talent on display, this matchup felt like a preview of an even grander stage a couple of months from now. That is certainly something for baseball fans to look forward to.
