The Brewers have already locked up October, but the final week of the regular season still carries real weight in Milwaukee - both for the team and for Jacob Misiorowski.
Sunday’s win over the Baltimore Orioles gave the Brewers their 98th victory, a franchise best, with six games still left to play. From here, Milwaukee can reach another milestone by winning just two of those final six and becoming the first 100-win team in club history. There’s also a playoff perk within reach: one more win, or an Atlanta Braves loss, would secure a first-round bye.
Milwaukee’s rise has been built on depth and balance, but Misiorowski has been one of the headliners anyway. The 24-year-old right-hander is already a two-time All-Star, and this season he’s paired a league-leading 247 strikeouts with a 1.86 ERA. Even after an abbreviated outing against Baltimore, he remains positioned to add to what’s already been a huge year.
MLB.com’s Brent Maguire laid out the stakes on Sunday: "It's been a remarkable season for Jacob Misiorowski, who has a 1.86 ERA and 247 strikeouts after Sunday's outing against the Orioles," MLB.com's Brent Maguire wrote on Sunday. "Assuming he's in line for one more start next weekend -- even if it's abbreviated like his three-inning outing on Sunday -- Misiorowski is in line to join some impressive company. If he can hold his ERA edge over Cam Schlittler's 1.94 mark, he'd join 2021 Corbin Burnes (2.43 ERA in 2021) as the only Brewers to win an ERA title.
"If Misiorowski keeps his ERA under two and gets to 250 strikeouts, there's some other fun company he'll join. He'd be just the 13th pitcher (15th instance) since earned runs became official in 1913 to finish a season with a sub-2 ERA and 250-plus strikeouts. The last to do so was Jacob deGrom in 2018."
The power stuff has been just as eye-catching as the results. Misiorowski has fired more than 1,000 pitches at 100 mph or harder, including the fastest pitch ever thrown by a starting pitcher. With Milwaukee already headed to the playoffs, giving him another outing also fits as a way to keep him sharp and confident entering October.
So while the standings side of the Brewers’ season is mostly settled, there’s still plenty left for Misiorowski to chase. One more turn could put him in rare air.
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Brewers' October Path Still Hinges On One Chaotic NL Race
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The most chaotic piece is still the Wild Card picture, where the Cubs, Padres, Phillies and Diamondbacks are all packed into the fight and every result can shuffle the bracket. For Milwaukee, that matters because the eventual draw could determine not just who shows up in the other dugout, but how favorable the path looks once the Brewers finally begin postseason play. [Read more 🡒]