The Brewers are handing Game 1 to Jacob Misiorowski, and that tells you plenty about how Milwaukee wants to open this National League Championship Series.
The hard-throwing right-hander will get the ball Sunday against the Dodgers, a choice that gives the Brewers a very different look from where they were at this point last year. In the 2025 NLCS, Freddy Peralta was the headliner in the rotation and the rest of the picture was still taking shape.
Misiorowski did pitch in that series, but not until Game 3. This time, he’s the one setting the tone.
That assignment comes with some real history behind it. Misiorowski has already faced Los Angeles three times in his short big league career, and the results have been strong. He first saw the Dodgers in just the fifth start of his career and walked away with a win after six innings, one run allowed and 12 strikeouts.
He met them again in Game 3 of the 2025 NLCS. That outing ended in a loss, but the performance was hardly the issue. Misiorowski gave Milwaukee five innings, allowed one run and struck out nine, a strong showing from a then-rookie who was coming off a rough finish to the regular season.
His most recent start against the Dodgers came in the 2026 regular season, and it looked a lot like the others. He worked six innings, gave up one run, struck out six and earned the win.
Put it all together, and the numbers against Los Angeles are eye-catching: 17 innings, a 1.59 ERA and 27 strikeouts.
The matchup to start the NLCS is a good one on paper, with both teams leaning on pitching. Game 1 will pair Misiorowski with two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, and the series begins Sunday.
Last year, the Dodgers got the upper hand. This time, the Brewers enter with a much stronger team than they had in 2025.
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