Jacob Misiorowski keeps turning the radar gun into a headline, and Game 1 of the NLDS gave him another one.
The Brewers’ 6-foot-7 right-hander hit 104.8 MPH in his start against the San Diego Padres, and he did it immediately. Misiorowski opened the game by firing his first pitch to Fernando Tatís Jr. at 104.8 MPH right down the middle, breaking the 104.5 MPH mark he had set in last year’s NLDS. His second pitch would have also topped that record, coming in at 104.6.
Misiorowski then put Tatís away with a 91 MPH pitch down and away, a sequence that set the tone for one of the night’s most electric outings. That strikeout was the first of six for the Brewers ace.
The velocity numbers didn’t stop there. Of Misiorowski’s 88 pitches, 52 were recorded at 100.0 MPH or higher, another postseason record for him. His previous high-water mark came in a relief appearance in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers last postseason, when he threw 31 pitches at 100 MPH or above.
Even with all that heat, San Diego made him labor. The Padres managed just four four-seam fastball whiffs and piled up 30 foul balls to stretch his pitch count, which limited him to four innings in a close game.
Misiorowski’s final line was four innings, four hits, two runs, one walk, and six strikeouts. He departed with the score tied 2-2 and will settle for a no-decision, leaving the Brewers’ bullpen to finish the job.
In Other News...
Brewers Hold On After Wild Ninth Inning Call Sparks Padres Fury
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For Milwaukee, the ruling helped preserve a hard-fought win, but it also left the Padres simmering over how the final inning unfolded. Craig Stammen and Pat Murphy both addressed the play afterward, along with players involved, as the odd sequence became less about the mechanics of a ruling and more about the pressure-cooker reality of October baseball, where a single strange bounce can reshape a whole series opener. [Read more 🡒]
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Contreras performance carries extra weight because manager Pat Murphy benched him late in the regular season over a lack of hustle, a decision that had left his role under the microscope going into the postseason. Instead of letting that become the headline, Contreras answered in the first game that mattered most, giving Milwaukee an early playoff storyline built around response, not resentment, even if the full impact of that turnaround is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Just Showed How Theyll Handle Their First Road Playoff Test
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May has already been through nine playoff games, and his track record against San Diego gives the Brewers a little more comfort heading into Petco Park. He also comes in with a recent seven-inning start there, which only adds to the sense that Milwaukee is trying to match the moment with a pitcher who has handled both the stage and the setting before. [Read more 🡒]