The Milwaukee Brewers didn’t just win a game on Tuesday—they may have found their future ace. In just his sixth major league start, rookie flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski went toe-to-toe with Clayton Kershaw, outdueled the legend, and silenced the Los Angeles Dodgers’ stacked lineup in a performance that already feels like a turning point for Milwaukee’s season.
The 6-foot-7 righty, known as “The Miz,” opened the game by serving up a 108.4 mph leadoff home run to Shohei Ohtani on a hanging curveball. And then? He turned the volume up.
A Show of Power & Poise
Misiorowski didn’t blink after the Ohtani blast. Instead, he struck out the side—Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Andy Pages—firing triple-digit heaters with a snarl. Twenty-two of his 91 pitches hit at least 100 mph, topping at 101.6. His four-seam fastball averaged 99.7 mph, nearly a whole tick above league average, with vicious spin (2630 RPM) and vertical life.
What separates Misiorowski from other high-velocity rookies is the arsenal. His slider sat at 94.6 mph and had a late bite with a 2499 RPM spin rate. He threw it nearly evenly to lefties and righties, generating a 23% whiff rate. His curveball was arguably his nastiest pitch: 88.1 mph with 43 inches of vertical break and an eye-popping 2763 max spin. It’s a weapon already.
What’s becoming clear with each start is that Misiorowski isn’t just another hard-throwing prospect—he’s a pitcher with a plan. His ability to mix four pitches, including a surprisingly advanced changeup, gives him multiple ways to attack hitters. Even veteran Dodgers looked uncomfortable, often frozen by elevated heaters or fooled by breaking balls that tunneled perfectly out of the same release point.
The Numbers Behind the Dominance
Misiorowski struck out 12 over six innings, allowing just four hits, one run, and a walk. He generated a 40% whiff rate across all pitches and a 40% called strikes + whiffs (CSW%), a metric that elite starters consistently live in. His curveball alone earned eight whiffs on 13 swings (62%), including multiple punchouts against the bottom of L.A.’s order.
His control? Still a work in progress. But the command in this outing—especially with runners on base—was big-league polished. After getting into trouble with runners on the corners and one out in the second, Misiorowski induced a pair of weak groundouts, capped by a slick defensive play from Andrew Vaughn and Andruw Monasterio. Fire met finesse, and the inning ended with fists pumping and the crowd of 38,175 roaring.
If he continues to harness his command, the Brewers may have found a long-term rotation anchor—one capable of shutting down even the league’s best.
Bounce-Back Energy
This was a response outing. Five days earlier, Misiorowski labored against the Mets, lasting only 3 ⅔ innings. Rather than unravel, he reloaded. Against the Dodgers—baseball’s measuring stick—he delivered the most electric start by a Brewers pitcher since Aaron Ashby struck out 12 back in 2022.
By the fourth inning, he’d already set a career high with 10 strikeouts. By the end of the sixth, he had a signature game.
So… What Now?
Misiorowski now owns a 4-1 record with a growing reputation as must-watch TV. The stuff is real. The numbers support it. The Dodgers couldn’t touch his fastball (50% whiff rate) or curveball (62%), and only Ohtani managed any real damage.
If he keeps this up, Milwaukee might have stumbled into the type of homegrown frontline starter who can change postseason ceilings.
And the best part? He’s just getting started.
Brewers Rookie Delivers Statement Game Against Dodgers