MILWAUKEE — In fact Jacob Misiorowski’s first pitch within the Main Leagues was a fastball. It discovered the strike zone at 100.5 mph, making it the second-fastest fastball thrown by a Brewers starter within the pitch-tracking period, just some clicks beneath Trevor Megill’s 100.7 mph as an opener in 2023.
That mark didn’t take lengthy to fall. Misiorowski’s second pitch was 101.8 mph. His fifth pitch was 102.2 mph. His 78th pitch was 101.1 mph to finish a fifth hitless inning.
However within the sixth, whereas making his 81st pitch, Misiorowski (Brewers No. 4 prospect, MLB No. 68) felt his proper quadriceps and calf cramp. As if that wasn’t sufficient, he turned his proper ankle after the follow-through, and whereas Misiorowski and the Brewers quelled any concern about these illnesses impeding his subsequent begin, it made for an unsatisfying ending to a outstanding introduction for the 23-year-old, 6-foot-7 flamethrower in Thursday night time’s 6-0 win over the Cardinals at American Household Area.
“In fact I don’t wish to depart like that. I felt like I might have stored going,” Misiorowski mentioned. “I cramped up, and stuff occurs. I noticed the image and it appears to be like dangerous, nevertheless it feels good, it feels nice.”
For many of the night time, it was nice.
“I’ve been taking part in this time out in my head eternally,” Misiorowski mentioned. “I believed I used to be going to surrender just a few hits, get your welcome to The Present. However I type of rolled with it, and now we’re right here.”
Making Milwaukee’s most extremely anticipated pitching debut since no less than 2017, when Josh Hader began slinging fastballs out of the bullpen, or maybe way back to the day Olympic hero Ben Sheets arrived in 2001, Misiorowski labored five-plus innings with out permitting a success or a run, labored round 4 walks and struck out 5 earlier than his abrupt exit in an outing that was each bit as electrical as marketed from the very first pitch.
By night time’s finish, he had fired 14 pitches at 100.0 mph and above, the fourth most by a starter in an MLB debut within the pitch-tracking period. Earlier than Thursday, all the Brewers’ starters had thrown eight triple-digit pitches in that point, and 6 of them belonged to Megill as an opener. The one true starters to do it each registered precisely 100.0 mph with precisely one pitch: Wily Peralta in 2013 and Brandon Woodruff in ’19.
“It’s simply unbelievable pitches coming at you,” mentioned catcher William Contreras, who helped calm Misiorowski when a crowd of 27,687 stirred because the duo walked in from the bullpen. “I do know that the velo is there going into it, nevertheless it undoubtedly surprises you once you see it persistently coming in 101, 102 [mph]. After that, he needed to lock in and never attempt to do an excessive amount of. Simply pitch.”
After posting a 2.13 ERA and putting out 80 hitters in 63 1/3 innings at Triple-A Nashville, Misiorowski earned his journey north to face a Cardinals crew he watched typically as a boy rising up simply outdoors Kansas Metropolis. That added a little bit further to his debut. So did a matchup in opposition to St. Louis ace Sonny Grey, who was handed over by Milwaukee not as soon as however twice within the first spherical of the 2011 Draft popping out of Vanderbilt, when the Brewers picked two different school pitchers as an alternative (Texas’ Taylor Jungmann twelfth total and Georgia Tech’s Jed Bradley fifteenth earlier than Grey went 18th to the A’s).
Among the many higher selections the Brewers have made within the years since is the choice to choose a uncooked energy arm within the second spherical of the 2022 Draft from Crowder School, the identical group school in Missouri that produced Milwaukee lefty Aaron Ashby (who, coincidentally, lined the ultimate three innings on Thursday and earned a save).
“I bear in mind being in a mix with [Misiorowski] again in 2022, and I received to see him throw a bullpen and I believed it was fastball then,” mentioned Cardinals middle fielder Victor Scott II. “It was a extremely good fastball as we speak. He went on the market and simply competed.”
“I feel subsequent time we see him,” mentioned Playing cards catcher Pedro Pagés, “perhaps we’ll have a greater strategy in opposition to him.”
Misiorowski’s long-awaited debut was a household affair. His mother and father have been there — dad Tom and mother Crystal have been noticed actually on the perimeters of their seats from the primary pitch — together with each of Misiorowski’s grandfathers, one grandmother, his girlfriend (Elle), his highschool baseball coach and as many as 30 different members of the family and associates. Lots of them wore T-shirts that mentioned, “Right here for The Miz.”
So have been the scouts who noticed and signed Misiorowski for the group. GM Matt Arnold mentioned regional scouting supervisor Drew Anderson and space scout Riley Bandelow and their households have been in attendance to look at Misiorowski pitch with a lead after the second inning, when one other Brewers rookie, Isaac Collins, hit a two-out triple and Brice Turang legged out a run-scoring infield hit.
It remained a 1-0 sport till the fifth, when, with Misiorowski at 78 pitches and nonetheless engaged on the no-hit bid, the Brewers noticed him 5 extra runs. Sal Frelick’s two-run single and Jackson Chourio’s two-run homer got here on consecutive pitches from Grey, knocking the Cardinals’ ace from the sport.
Misiorowski had no clue he was engaged on a no-hitter — “I believed one of many popups landed,” he mentioned — however he lastly had some room to breathe. That solely lasted three pitches into the sixth inning earlier than he rolled his ankle and needed to exit.
A day earlier, Misiorowski was asking across the clubhouse for recommendation about his debut, and the commonest reply was precisely that: “Breathe.”
“Mother’s doing the identical. She’s attempting to not maintain her breath too lengthy,” Crystal Misiorowski instructed FanDuel Sports activities Community’s Sophia Minnaert from the stands. “He’s child. He tries very exhausting. He works actually exhausting. He type of retains issues near the vest, however along with his household and associates, he’s a cutup.”
Requested how her son was dealing with the hype, Crystal mentioned, “I might say he’s very introspective of all of it. He takes it in, he is aware of what a giant deal it’s, he is aware of how necessary it’s for him to come back present what he’s received.”
Now comes the subsequent check: Do it many times.
“The stroll in from the bullpen was like, ‘Holy cow, that is it, we’re really doing this,’” mentioned Misiorowski, who heard the gang and did his finest to soak within the second. “I don’t know why they stirred — I’m guessing I used to be on the massive board. It’s cool. It’s actually cool.”
