Jacob Misiorowski is in the midst of one of the best runs by a starting pitcher in MLB history. However, the right-hander faced a different challenge: Coors Field.
Coors Field is the most hitter-friendly ballpark in the majors, with Statcast assigning a three-year rolling Park Factor of 112. To put that into context, that means offense is inflated by 12% compared to the average park.
While Coors Field can be problematic for most pitchers, it was of little concern for the Brewers ace. Misiorowski dominated the Colorado Rockies for seven strong innings in a 7-1 win. He picked up his seventh win of the season, while his ERA drops to 1.50.
Jacob Misiorowski Dominates Rockies at Coors Field
Jacob Misiorowski was ready for the challenge of pitching at Coors Field. While the Rockies field the worst lineup in baseball in terms of wRC+ (87), that park can be challenging with balls carrying more in the thinner air and more real estate for hits to fall in. But it’s also easier to navigate with triple-digit velocity.
Misiorowski recorded 52 pitches north of 100 MPH in the game, the second most in MLB history behind his May 25 start, per Sarah Langs. Langs also notes the Brewers’ right-hander set the starting pitcher velocity record with a 103.7 MPH four-seamer to the Rockies’ Kyle Karros in the third inning.
Perhaps the most ace-like moment for Misiorowski came in the seventh. After giving up a walk and a single, it appeared Brewers manager Pat Murphy was ready to grab his Cy Young contender. However, the right-hander channeled his inner Mike Mussina and told his manager he wasn’t leaving.
First and third, just gave up his hardest-hit ball of the night on his slowest fastball, stares down William Contreras and the dugout and simply says, “No.”
Stays in the game. Back to back punchouts.
The right-hander explained his reasoning after the game to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel‘s Curt Hogg.
“The bullpen has been taxed recently, and I think it’s my job to get it to a point where they can throw one inning each without a lot of hacks on those arms. I think it was important for me to get through that and succeed for the boys.”
After saying “No” at least six times, Murphy relented and trusted his ace to finish the job. Misiorowski froze both Jake McCarthy and Sterlin Thompson on strikes to finish his start with a flourish.
“It’s awesome that it’s gotten to the point with him that there’s trust in that, and a lot of faith behind me. It means the world.”
Jacob Misiorowski’s Insane Run Continues
Jacob Misiorowski is on one of the most impressive runs by a starting pitcher in MLB history. In his last seven starts, the right-hander has allowed two runs (one earned) over 45.1 innings with 65 strikeouts.
Misiorowski’s 0.20 ERA over his last seven starts is the lowest in any seven-start span since MLB lowered the mound. He barely edges out Chris Sale (June 24-August 12, 2018) by about 0.006, per OptaSTATS.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy took time to acknowledge this run.
“We gotta take note of what this guy has done,” Murphy told Hunter Baumgardt of Fox Sports 920. “Pitching isn’t this easy in the big leagues. If you’re pitching against a major league team, to be as consistent as this guy has been over the last I don’t know how many outings is remarkable.”
This historic run has pushed Misiorowski to the top tier of National League starters. He, along with Cristopher Sanchez and Shohei Ohtani, is in the top tier of Cy Young contenders.
Brewers Ace Jacob Misiorowski Continues Historic Run After Dominating Rockies