Brewers Jacob Misiorowski Gets Shout-Out From MLB's Fastball King

At least, he's the king for now...

May 31, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Just as he was getting ready to make his Saturday start, Milwaukee Brewers fireballer Jacob Misiorowski got a shout-out from the man who has thrown the hardest pitch in Major League Baseball to date.

Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman, who still regularly touches 100 mph at age 38, told The Boston Globe on Sunday that Misiorowski was one of his favorite pitchers in the league to watch. He also gave a strong endorsement to the righty's mechanics, a subject for which he's a good authority figure.

“I like what Milwaukee is doing,” Chapman said, per Peter Abraham. “Misiorowski has good mechanics. He throws hard because he throws with his body, not just his arm. That’s how you stay healthy.”

Kinship of the fastball: Miz and the Cuban Missile

May 31, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Chapman may not be one of the two or three hardest throwers in baseball anymore, and in fact, Misiorowski often averages a higher fastball velocity over the course of a 95-pitch start than Chapman does in a save situation in the ninth inning.

But in 2010, Chapman threw the hardest recorded pitch in major league history at 105.8 mph, back when he was taking the sport by storm as a young reliever for the Cincinnati Reds.

If he moved into the Brewers' closer role for some unintelligent reason, Misiorowski might be able to break Chapman's record right now. Then again, that mark has stood for a surprisingly long time, and the fact that it hasn't been touched in the Statcast era might even lead some conspiracy theorists to say it was a pitch-tracking misread of some kind.

What's important, though, is that Misiorowski stays on the mound often enough for the Brewers to count on those heaters. And Chapman, who has eight All-Star Game nods to his name and has thrown 17 years in the big leagues without a serious arm injury, largely knows what it takes to do that.

Of course, starting pitching and relief pitching take different skill sets to some degree, with longevity weighing heavier on the starters' shoulders. Misiorowski and Chapman will have very different careers, but both belong to the brethren of the fireballer.