Built to throw fire: The making of Milwaukee Brewers star Jacob Misiorowski

[p]The moment [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/milwaukee-brewers/CGzqC60o/"]Milwaukee[/a]'s starter released the pitch, the stadium fell silent. Once again, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/misiorowski-jacob/hnuLI9p1/"]Misiorowski[/a] had thrown the fastest pitch by a starting pitcher since MLB began tracking pitch velocities in 2008. His fastball registered 103.7 mph, breaking his own record of 103.6 mph that he had set just a month earlier against the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-york-yankees/SrC4LDIT/"]New York Yankees[/a]. In that outing, he struck out 11 batters over six scoreless innings as the Brewers cruised to victory.[/p][p]Against the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/colorado-rockies/naYhNOaA/"]Rockies[/a], Misiorowski threw three more pitches over 103 mph. Of his 98 pitches, 52 reached triple digits, while 45 registered at least 101 mph. Milwaukee rolled to a 12-4 victory, controlling the game from start to finish. Even more remarkable was his consistency. The final pitch of his outing still reached 101.3 mph, a testament to his elite stamina and ability to maintain velocity deep into games.[/p][embed guid="02f81d4b-ebaa-4132-93fb-f10b858231d9" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUYJaDpNlEs" social-type="youtube" /][p][b]“It is what it is,”[/b] Misiorowski told reporters after the game. [b]“I’m going to keep going, trying to get strikeouts, and if that’s what it takes to get strikeouts, then so be it.”[/b][/p][p]Anyone searching for excitement on Misiorowski's face would come away disappointed. For the Brewers’ ace, his extraordinary performances became his daily bread.[/p][p]The right-handed superstar is responsible for 28 of the 30 pitches thrown by starting pitchers that reached 103-plus miles per hour. He recorded all his 28 throws this season, racking up 138 strikeouts with a 1.45 ERA across 93 innings. The Milwaukee ace leads all major league qualified starters in all those categories. He’s only 24 years old.[/p][p]The prodigy grew up in Grain Valley, Missouri. As a high school junior, he had a 9-2 record with a 1.48 ERA and earned a spot on the All-State team. That December, Misiorowski displayed his skills by participating in a bullpen session, demonstrating his high-quality curveball in front of scouts from the Brewers, Rockies, and Tampa Bay Rays.[/p][p]The future looked bright. But then, COVID-19 hit, and his high school senior season was cut short. In response to the pandemic, the MLB shortened its draft to only five rounds that year, reducing the total number of players who would be drafted. Misiorowski's path to professional baseball suddenly became much steeper, so he chose the collegiate route instead.[/p][embed guid="94568f09-d66d-4f7a-ae77-7945047fe094" url="https://x.com/CoMissourian/status/2068031098206962170" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Juco product[/h2][p]Nicknamed "Miz," Misiorowski originally committed to Oklahoma State. It seemed like the perfect fit - a Big 12 powerhouse with elite facilities and a brand-new ballpark. But the uncertainty brought on by the pandemic changed the equation, and Stillwater no longer felt like the right destination.[/p][p]He decommitted and began searching for a new home. Another Power 5 school would seem like the obvious fit. Maybe even an institution participating in the SEC, a conference notoriously known for producing baseball talents and future big leaguers.[/p][p]Instead, Misiorowski turned his attention to Crowder – a junior college – located just three hours away in southwestern Missouri. And it was quite the experience for the flamethrower. There wasn’t much glamour. Recognition. Fame. Jucos are about grit. Perseverance. Dedication. It was exactly the environment Misiorowski needed.[/p][embed guid="fbbbb919-d220-45a9-b105-855f6784d135" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuBkqdcawuw" social-type="youtube" /][p][b]“Those 10-plus hour bus rides, they’re tough,” [/b]Misiorowski said. [b]“It was the grind I needed.”[/b][/p][p]Crowder was known as a blue-collar school. They achieved success through hard work and endless repetition. And that’s exactly the type of experience Misiorowski needed to put under his belt to become great. He had the power but was missing the command of the baseball. He could already throw at 95 mph, but was spraying the ball all over the place.[/p][p][b]“I think it was hard for him to identify with the grittiness of who we were,” [/b]said catcher and his former teammate Adamo Stornello. [b]“A little foul-mouthed, JUCO baseball group was maybe not his typical style.”[/b][/p][p]The environment was new for Misiorowski. Naturally on the shy side, he wasn’t too outspoken. He was quiet and carried a sense of seriousness that not everybody understood at first. But it wasn’t arrogance. It was laser focus.[/p][p][b]“A lot of us were trying to move on to Division I baseball,”[/b] Stornello said. [b]“He was trying to move on to professional baseball.”[/b][/p][p]Still, there was another obstacle. Just in his second collegiate appearance and first career start, Misiorowski landed awkwardly after throwing a pitch and went to see an athletic trainer. The diagnosis was brutal – torn meniscus requiring surgery. His freshman campaign was over. But the injury proved to be a blessing in disguise. It led him back to Crowder for a second season. A season that changed everything.[/p][h2]Unique frame[/h2][p]An average MLB pitcher stands at 6 feet and 2.5 inches and weighs 210 pounds. Misiorowski is 6-foot-7 and 200. An absolute anomaly for baseball. After suffering the season-ending injury, he learned he needed to get stronger. His gangly body needed to gain more control. The coaches altered his delivery.[/p][embed guid="1b59eeb9-8fb6-4361-adae-bd8db2463b98" url="https://x.com/tommym8/status/2056892818631582100" social-type="twitter" /][p]​[b]“He came back, and there were just some things that were clicking different,”[/b] head coach Travis Lallemand said.[/p][p]The transformation was immediate. In his sophomore year, the right-handed pitcher started 15 games and went 10-0 with a 2.72 ERA and astonishing 136 strikeouts in 76 innings.[/p][p]He committed to LSU, but the calling from the MLB was getting louder and louder. Scouts from all over the country flew to Crowder’s games to watch him pitch.[/p][p][b]“I’d go down to warm up with him pregame,” [/b]Stornello said. [b]“You turn around and there’s 10 scouts watching us play catch.”[/b][/p][p]After his season ended, the Milwaukee Brewers drafted Misiorowski in the second round with the 63rd overall pick. He signed with the franchise and moved to the minor leagues.[/p][p]But he barely spent two seasons there, as in August 2024, the Brewers promoted him to Triple-A, where he was a part of the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nashville-sounds/Ee1zwngE/"]Nashville Sounds[/a]. In the same year, they even moved him to the bullpen for a potential major league role. He didn’t debut in 2024 – Milwaukee stated that the long-term plan was to make Misiorowski a starting pitcher.[/p][embed guid="239b217e-00f6-410b-bd4d-f05251251334" url="https://x.com/MannyOnMLB/status/2063467354240278612" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Chasing records[/h2][p]He began the 2025 season in Nashville and posted a 2.13 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 13 appearances. That was enough for the Brewers’ front office.[/p][p]On June 12th, the organisation promoted him to the Major Leagues. Misiorowski had the debut of his dreams, posting a no-hitter through five innings and earning a win. In his first big-time game, he recorded the fastest pitch thrown by a Brewers pitcher, clocking a throw at 102.3 mph.[/p][p]In his second career start, he threw six innings with no hits, becoming the first MLB player to tally 11 straight no-hit innings to start his MLB career since 1961. His stellar performances earned him a spot in the All-Star Game in his inaugural season. In March 2026, Milwaukee announced that Misiorowski would be the starting pitcher on Opening Day. He became the third youngest pitcher to start on Opening Day in Brewers’ history.[/p][embed guid="58244fd1-62b2-4fa3-8967-7064b991b251" url="https://x.com/Paul_CasellaMLB/status/2065611737672380751" social-type="twitter" /][p]From May 1st until the 25th, he recorded 29 and 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings. It was the third-longest streak in franchise history. When June hit, Misiorowski started breaking the velocity records. First, the one against the Yankees.[/p][p]Then at Coors Field. It only lasted a week. On June 12, he threw a pitch of 104.5 to Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies. Schwarber – one of the most decorated hitters in the league and this year’s leader in home runs – struck out.[/p][embed guid="4dd7fa11-f5e9-4a36-9cc7-fd677a21cb99" url="https://x.com/YahooSports/status/2065591801872887835" social-type="twitter" /][p]In the same game, Misiorowski completed a Maddux, firing a one-hit shutout on just 95 pitches while striking out 15 batters. He surpassed Tarik Skubal's 13-strikeout Maddux from the previous season.[/p][p][b]“I think Crowder gave me a whole different mindset,”[/b] Misiorowski said. [b]“Now it’s understanding that I do deserve to be here, I worked my way through it, and got to where I am now. I think without it, it would have been a whole different story.”[/b][/p][embed guid="e78029ee-aeec-4760-98f4-8efe04b6ab5c" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaAOy8pY36c&t=10s" social-type="youtube" /][p]For Miz, everything unfolded exactly the way it needed to. From grinding through junior college to learning how to harness his unique frame, every step shaped the pitcher he is today.[/p][p]Now he stands atop a major league rotation, while Milwaukee sits atop the Central Division. The next challenge is clear: lead the Brewers all the way to a World Series championship.[/p]