Jacob Misiorowski didn’t need to overpower everything Friday night for the Milwaukee Brewers to take Game 1, and he said as much after another short postseason outing.
The right-hander worked five innings of one-run ball in Milwaukee’s 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, giving up four hits with three strikeouts and one walk. It was enough to put the Brewers ahead 1-0 in the series and move them three wins away from the first World Series title in franchise history.
Misiorowski has now gone 13 1/3 total innings across three playoff appearances, and he still hasn’t lasted into the sixth inning in any of them. The strikeout total - just three in this outing - stands out for a pitcher whose calling card is elite velocity and whose first full MLB season is beginning to show on his arm.
Still, the Brewers had plenty around him. Aaron Ashby stayed locked in, Abner Uribe turned in a strong outing of his own, and Trevor Megill got through the ninth despite allowing a run. Milwaukee’s offense delivered when it needed to, while William Contreras helped keep the Rays from tying things up by throwing out potential game-tying runs more than once.
That’s been the Brewers’ formula in this postseason: no single pitcher carrying the whole load, even if Misiorowski is the headliner. Pat Murphy has not needed him to be the entire story, and on Friday the rest of the club filled in the gaps.
If Milwaukee gets its way, Misiorowski won’t have to shoulder that burden again this year. Game 2 is Saturday at approximately 8 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Jacob Misiorowski Just Gave Brewers Fans A New Reason To Believe
Jacob Misiorowski has already given Milwaukee plenty of reasons to dream, and his latest spotlight moment only sharpened the anticipation. The hard-throwing starter came into Game 1 after a season in which he posted a 1.80 ERA over 30 starts and routinely lit up radar guns, averaging 100.6 mph on his four-seam fastball.
The performance against Tampa Bay took that power to another level, even by postseason standards. Misiorowskis velocity put him in a class all his own on baseballs biggest stage, and it only added to the sense that the Brewers may have something special in their rotation as the pressure rises. The only real question now is how far that arm can carry them when the games matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Ace Just Gave The World Series A Historic Start
Jacob Misiorowski wasted no time making his presence felt on the biggest stage, opening the World Series with the kind of velocity that has become his calling card for Milwaukee. The Brewers ace has turned into one of the most electric arms in baseball this season, pairing a 1.80 ERA with 252 strikeouts and taking the ball in Game 1 of the NLDS, NLCS and World Series along the way.
The moment was historic even by his standards, though it also fit the larger pattern of what he has been doing since the regular season. Misiorowski had already grabbed attention earlier this year when he topped the league's starter velocity mark, and now the Brewers are watching that same raw power play out on the sport's biggest October stage. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Murphy Got An Unexpected Call Brewers Fans Will Love
Pat Murphy has spent enough time around baseball to keep his focus on the next game, but this one landed differently. The Brewers coach has long been a Bruce Springsteen fan, and after Milwaukee clinched its NLCS victory, he got an unexpected FaceTime call from the man whose music has been part of his life for years. For Murphy, it was the kind of personal moment that goes beyond a clubhouse celebration and into something a little more memorable.
Springsteen had been watching the Brewers and wanted to connect with Murphy, which made the exchange even more meaningful. Murphy described the conversation as easy, and he spoke about the impact Springsteens music has had on him and his teams over the years. It was a reminder that the Brewers postseason run has started to reach beyond the field, in ways that can surprise even the people closest to it. [Read more 🡒]