SI:AM | Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski Sets Franchise Record in Another Dominant Start

He struck out the first seven batters he faced on Sunday, the most in team history.

Jacob Misiorowski has been nearly untouchable in his second MLB season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I’m still a little angry at LeBron James for waiting until just after we sent Friday’s newsletter to announce that he was signing with the Sixers. 

In today’s SI:AM: 
⚾ MLB GMs feeling the heat
🏀 WNBA’s embattled commish
⚽ How the Refcam works

If you’re reading this on SI.com, click here to subscribe and receive SI:AM directly in your inbox each morning.

Nobody hits the Miz

Hitters don’t have to guess what they’re going to see when they step into the box against Brewers fireballer Jacob Misiorowski. He’s going to bring the heat. But that doesn’t make it any easier to hit. 

Misiorowski turned in yet another dominant performance on the mound on Sunday, striking out 12 Rockies batters in just five innings. That includes a string of seven straight K’s to open the game, a new Brewers franchise record. 

Misiorowski struck out 12 of the first 13 batters he faced and allowed just one run on a solo homer by Cole Carrigg in the fifth inning, which was also the only hit he allowed. He was pulled after throwing 83 pitches. The Brewers went on to win, 11–2. 

It wasn’t Misiorowski’s best start of the season—that distinction belongs to the brilliant 15-strikeout, one-hit, complete-game shutout he threw against the Phillies on June 12—but it was his most high-octane. Misiorowski threw a staggering 54 pitches at 102 mph or faster, by far the most such pitches any pitcher has thrown in a single game since MLB began tracking pitch data in 2008. The previous record for pitches at 102 or faster was 31, by Misiorowski in that June 12 shutout. 

Misiorowski first turned heads when he started lighting up radar guns as a rookie last season. The velocity readings were impressive, but the results were underwhelming. He had a 4.36 ERA and allowed 4.2 walks per nine innings. This year, though, Misiorowski has put it all together. His walk rate is down, his strikeout rate is up and he’s become the overwhelming favorite for the NL Cy Young Award. He leads the majors in ERA (1.58), WHIP (0.750), strikeouts (185) and hits per nine (4.7). 

The most impressive stats, though, are still the velocity numbers. Misiorowski is bringing the heat like no other starting pitcher in the pitch-tracking era has. The seven highest single-game totals for pitches of at least 102 mph all belong to him. He’s now thrown 225 pitches at least that fast this season. Only Aroldis Chapman has thrown more such pitches in a single season (258 in 2016). If you look just at pitches of at least 100 mph, Misiorowski already holds the record with 762. (Jordan Hicks is second with 673 in 2018.) Misiorowski has more than twice as many triple-digit fastballs in one season as any other starting pitcher in the pitch-tracking era. 

Misiorowski’s success this season has come from leaning into his signature pitch. He threw plenty of sliders and curveballs last season but has slashed his breaking ball usage this year. Breaking balls accounted for 38.9% of the pitches he threw in 2025, but only 21.3% this year. When your fastball is as good as Misiorowski’s, why throw anything else? Not only does he throw harder than any other starter, but he also releases the ball exceptionally close to the plate with his enormous 6'7" frame—even further reducing the hitter’s reaction time. 

Thanks in large part to Misiorowski’s dominance, the Brewers have built a healthy seven-game lead in the NL Central, and are just a half-game behind the Dodgers for the best record in the majors. With any luck, we’ll get to see Misiorowski follow up his dominant regular season with a star turn in October. 

The best of Sports Illustrated

Brian Cashman is among the MLB executives feeling most pressure as the trade deadline looms. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Albert Breer: With Fernando Mendoza Signed, the Raiders’ Positive Momentum Continues Tim Capurso: Seven MLB GMs Under the Most Pressure at Trade Deadline Jenna Tonelli: The NWSL Popularized the Refcam Before Its World Cup Moment. Here’s How It Works Chris Mannix: Tom Dundon Is Betting His NHL Formula Will Work in the NBA Despite the Critics Emma Baccellieri: With Job Status Still Hazy, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert Can’t Get Out of Her Own Way

The top five…

Munetaka Murakami went deep twice against the Astros on Sunday. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

… things I saw yesterday:
5. The emotional local radio call as Mayo won its first All-Ireland Senior Football championship in 75 years. You don’t have to know anything about Gaelic football or Mayo’s supposed curse to appreciate what those announcers were feeling. 
4. A great defensive play by Mets pitcher Luke Weaver. 
3. Not one but two home runs for Munetaka Murakami on the day the White Sox gave away a bobblehead of him. 
2. Trinity Rodman’s precise cross and Sofia Cantore’s beautiful finish for a Washington Spirit goal. 
1. Sophia Mattice’s amazing long-range assist to Sveindís Jónsdóttir for an Angel City FC goal. (The pass must have traveled at least 50 yards and was perfectly placed.)