Jacob Misiorowski's Historic Masterpiece Turns Up Heat on NL Cy Young Race

Milwaukee's ace is leaving his mark on the record books

Jun 12, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) delivers a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski just delivered one of the most dominant pitching performances baseball fans will likely see all season.

The 24-year-old twirled an absolute gem against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, pitching a complete game shutout with 15 strikeouts. Misiorowski only gave up one hit and needed just 95 pitches to finish off his nine scoreless innings in Milwaukee's 6-0 win over Philadelphia. The young right-hander even hit 104.5 mph in the first inning and was regularly firing off his triple-digit fastball throughout the night.

With this masterpiece, Misiorowski became the first MLB pitcher in the modern era to toss a shutout in which he had at least 15 strikeouts, allowed just one hit, and faced the minimum 27 batters, according to OptaSTATS on X, formerly known as Twitter. The hard-throwing righty also has a 0.17 ERA over his last eight starts, as pointed out by MLB.com's Sarah Langs. No other pitcher (excluding openers) has produced a lower ERA than that during a stretch of eight starts since earned runs became an official statistic in 1913, according to Langs.

In a day and age where it's becoming increasingly more rare for pitchers to throw complete games, Misiorowski's performance is undoubtedly a highlight moment of the 2026 MLB season. And if the Brewers ace keeps throwing the ball the way he has lately, it looks like baseball fans will be treated to an intense battle for this year's National League Cy Young Award.

Multiple pitchers are staking their claims for 2026 NL Cy Young

Jun 10, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the second inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Misiorowski's gem is the latest example of the ridiculous numbers being produced by some of the best pitchers in the National League. The Milwaukee flamethrower, for example, now has a 1.34 ERA through 14 starts this year, with a league-leading 131 strikeouts in 87 innings.

Right behind Misiorowski in strikeouts is Philadelphia left-hander Cristopher Sánchez. The southpaw has struck out 113 batters in 93 1/3 innings so far this year, while also posting a 1.54 ERA in 14 starts. He even had a stretch of 50 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings pitched earlier this year.

Then, of course, there's Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. The four-time MVP has produced a 1.06 ERA in his first 11 starts of 2026, striking out 73 hitters in 67 2/3 innings. And don't forget about the defending NL Cy Young Award winner, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes. The 24-year-old has a 2.84 ERA to begin the season, but he still has time to try to turn in his third straight year with a sub-2.00 ERA.

Even though it's only the second week of June, it's abundantly clear that these hurlers (and others) are set to make this an incredibly entertaining year for MLB fans who love to watch dominant pitching.