Player of the gameJacob MisiorowskiMIL6.0ip 2h 1er 8k
Three pitches into Friday night's rivalry opener, Jacob Misiorowski had already made history. Three hours later, he'd reminded everyone why the radar gun isn't the most impressive part of his game. Misiorowski unleashed a 105.5 mph fastball to Pete Crow-Armstrong on the third pitch of the game -- matching the third-fastest pitch recorded in the Statcast era -- then battled through one of his toughest outings in weeks to lead the Brewers to a 6-2 victory over the Cubs before a sold-out crowd of 41,021 at American Family Field. "I think I slipped a little bit on that pitch," Misiorowski said with a grin. "I think I've got a little more." The 105.5 mph heater tied Ben Joyce (Sept. 3, 2024) for the third-fastest pitch since the pitch tracking era began in 2008. Only Aroldis Chapman has thrown harder, reaching 105.8 mph in 2010 and 105.7 mph in 2016. Misiorowski's previous career high was 104.5 mph. As eye-popping as the number was, it quickly became secondary. The Cubs made the Brewers' ace work all night. They spoiled premium velocity, extended at-bats and finally broke through when Seiya Suzuki opened the fifth inning by launching a 90 mph slider the opposite way for a homer, ending Misiorowski's no-hit bid and giving Chicago a 1-0 lead. "They had a game plan coming in to battle me and foul stuff off," Misiorowski said. "They stuck with it, and more power to them." The biggest moment came an inning later. After Alex Bregman singled, and Michael Busch and Suzuki worked walks to load the bases with two outs, pitching coach Chris Hook visited the mound with Misiorowski nearing 100 pitches. Rather than turn to the bullpen, the Brewers left their ace in to face Ian Happ one final time. Misiorowski answered by reaching back for 102.8 mph, blowing a four-seam fastball past Happ to end the inning. He walked off the mound pumping his fist as the crowd roared.
