As Jacob Misiorowski Dominates, Mystery Around 95 MPH 'Slider' Continues

What's a myth, and what's reality?

May 13, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) throws a pitch in the first inning against the San Diego Padres at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The season of Jacob Misiorowski continued on Tuesday night, propelling the Milwaukee Brewers into first place at the same time.

Misiorowski's six-inning scoreless start against the rival Chicago Cubs dropped his ERA to 1.89 on the season, while his eight strikeouts increased his major league-leading total to 88. He's becoming the most indomitable force in pitching, but there's still one controversy that percolates.

Does Misiorowski really throw a slider that averages 95 and tops out at 98 mph? As it turns out, that's increasingly becoming a matter of perspective.

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Slider or cutter? Analyst weighs in

May 19, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) delivers the ball against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

On Tuesday, Baseball Savant proclaimed that Misiorowski had thrown 25 sliders out of his 74 pitches, with no mention of the term "cutter." The pitch averaged 94.7 mph on the night and is at 94.6 mph on the season.

However, analyst Jack Stern of Brewer Fanatic took to X and cited color analyst Vinny Rottino on the Brewers' broadcast telling viewers that the team considered Misiorowski's primary "slider" to be a cutter, and had also added more of a true slider to the arsenal this season.

Per @VinnyRottino on the broadcast, Misiorowski and the Brewers consider his "slider" a cutter and have added a true slider as a separate pitch. https://t.co/mjNWx7fgP0 pic.twitter.com/NavKTBEEE1

— Jack Stern (@ByJackStern) May 20, 2026

Stern also showed a graphic of Misiorowski's season arsenal, compiled by Thomas Nestico of TJStats, that asserted Misiorowski had thrown 199 cutters this season at an average of 94.8 mph, while he'd only thrown 10 sliders that averaged 90.7 mph.

For his part, Misiorowski has always called the pitch a slider, and the pitch-tracking systems agree. But before the 2024 season, he was only throwing his slider in the mid-80s, according to an MLB.com profile. At some point along the line, he began throwing it harder and flatter, which has undeniably contributed to his star status.

Does the primary breaking pitch behave more like a cutter than a slider, based on standards we know around the rest of the league? Sure, but who's to stop Misiorowski from calling that pitch a slider and terming the other, less frequently used breaker a "sweeper?"

If we put the semantics aside, we can also appreciate just how dominant the pitch has become. Misiorowski is holding hitters to a .100 batting average and 12 strikeouts on it so far this season.