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Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski hits 104.3 mph while throwing 3 innings of shutout relief

MILWAUKEE — Jacob Misiorowski rediscovered the form that earned the flamethrowing rookie so much acclaim in the first few weeks after the Milwaukee Brewers called him up from the minors.

He was throwing heat. More importantly, he was throwing strikes.

Misiorowski fired three innings of scoreless relief while reaching at least 100 mph on 31 of his 57 pitches during the Brewers†7-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of their NL Division Series. He struck out four while allowing one hit and two walks.

It was the type of performance that showcased how much of an impact Misiorowski could make if the Brewers have a long postseason run.

“Miz stepped up,†manager Pat Murphy said. “You guys get all enthralled with MPH. Iâ€m enthralled that he wasnâ€t giving up free bases, kept his composure with runners and that type of thing.â€

Those have been the issues for Misiorowski during his eventful rookie season.

The right-hander garnered so much attention for his overpowering fastball that he was selected an All-Star after making just five starts. In two of them, he won head-to-head pitching matchups with NL Cy Young Award favorite Paul Skenes and three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw.

But heâ€s dealt with plenty of obstacles ever since.

Misiorowski went on the injured list with a bruised left tibia in early August. He returned later that month but allowed 23 runs (22 earned) over 32 2/3 innings from that point on.

His late slide pretty much assured that Misiorowski wouldnâ€t be part of the Brewers†starting rotation for the playoffs, but his pure stuff demanded that he be included in Milwaukeeâ€s postseason plans.

He entered Game 2 with the score tied 3-all in the third inning. Each of his first eight pitches registered at least 102.6, including a top velocity of 104.3.

“I think I was so fired up, adrenaline pumping,†Misiorowski said. “You know, I didnâ€t really know where my feet were, but we landed, so it was fun. It was a lot of fun.â€

When Misiorowski has struggled, he generally has either lost control of the strike zone or struggled to maintain his poise amid adversity. But he managed to balance showing his emotion while also maintaining his focus in Game 2 as he helped the Brewers grab a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

Misiorowski issued a one-out walk to Seiya Suzuki in the third inning but struck out Ian Happ and then got Carson Kelly to hit a grounder back to him.

“We needed to get him before he settled in, and he made some pitches to strike out Happ,†Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “If Ian gets on there, then thereâ€s some pressure on him immediately.â€

Misiorowski was so excited after Kellyâ€s grounder that he ran all the way from the pitcherâ€s mound to first base himself to retire the batter before pumping his fist repeatedly. Misiorowski said afterward he handled the play unassisted because he was worried about overthrowing first baseman Andrew Vaughn.

Even so, Murphy used the moment to offer a reminder to the 23-year-old.

“Youâ€ve got to let him express himself, but then youâ€ve got to watch and see if he comes back to where he needs to be,†Murphy said. “Itâ€s hard. He came off the mound in the (third) inning and he was ranting and raving and I gave him a little, like, ‘OK, stay with it.â€

“Heâ€s here at the highest level for a reason, and heâ€s been through some ups and downs. I think heâ€s pretty aware and pretty on high alert.â€

Misiorowski walked Matt Shaw with two outs in the fourth and gave up a leadoff single to Nico Hoerner in the fifth, but didnâ€t let either runner advance beyond first base and ended up as the winning pitcher.

“I think the whole thing was just staying fired up, staying with that adrenaline pumping, and keep going at what I was doing before in (my) first inning,†Misiorowski said.

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How Much Does Throwing Harder Increase Injury Risk For MLB Pitchers?


Image credit:
Gerrit Cole (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

When studying how starting pitcher velocity corresponds to MLB success and longevity, we found a clear correlation between between pitchers who throw harder and those who have longer careers.

But this poses another question: How much more injury risk do those hard-throwing pitchers face?

The answer appears to be quite significantly more.

In our comprehensive study on velocity, we examined 236 MLB starting pitchers who debuted between 2008 and 2015—check out the story for complete data parameters—and looked at average fastball velocity in their MLB debut season compared to league averages for same-handed starters.

To account for injuries, we also logged the total number of 60-day injured list appearances for each pitcher, as we considered 60-day IL stints as a useful proxy for serious ailments. Pitchers might go on the 15-day IL with a minor ankle sprain or a tweaked muscle, but a 60-day IL trip means a pitcher missed at least two months in recovery from some sort of significant injury. Note that we didnâ€t break these IL stints down by type of injury, so a pulled hamstring, oblique injury or concussion all count equally here.

One notable finding was that almost any pitcher who pitches in the majors for numerous seasons will eventually get seriously hurt. Of the 19 pitchers in the study who threw 2,000+ MLB innings, David Price was the only one who didn’t have a 60-day IL stint.

It should perhaps go without saying, but the act of throwing a baseball over and over in high-stress environments is not conducive to good health. That goes for any pitcher, regardless of velocity. Of the 236 pitchers included in our study, we charted 394 separate 60-day IL stints.

But looking at the data, we find that the pitchers who throw harder are also more likely to get hurt:

VELO COMPARED
TO MLB AVERAGEAVG 60-DAY
IL STINTS> +2 mph2.81+1 to +2 mph1.95-0.9 to 0.9 mph1.52-2 to -1 mph0.80< -2 mph0.59

We wanted to make sure to control for different pitchers†career longevity, so we also looked at IL stints in comparison to 1,000 innings pitched. And while the disparity between hard-throwing and softer-throwing pitchers diminished, it did not disappear entirely:

VELO COMPARED
TO MLB AVERAGEIL STINTS
PER 1,000 IP> +2 mph3.63+1 to +2 mph3.64-0.9 to 0.9 mph3.40-2 to -1 mph2.57< -2 mph2.56

If there’s one surgical procedure that immediately jumps to mind when considering pitching injuries, it’s the Tommy John surgery used to fix torn ulnar collateral ligaments in the elbow. With that in mind, we also tracked pitchers who had Tommy John surgery by using Jon Roegeleâ€s excellent Tommy John database.

What we found was a similar trend.

The risk of a serious elbow injury was most prevalent among the pitchers who threw hardest. But because those pitchers were also the ones who pitched the longest in the majors, their Tommy John rate per 1,000 MLB innings pitched was actually lower than that of pitchers with average and well below-average velocity.

It’s important to note that we only logged MLB innings when looking at Tommy John surgery rate. As such, the high rate of TJ surgeries per innings pitched found in the group throwing 2 mph or more below league average was affected by these players’ limited ability to stick in the majors.

VELO COMPARED
TO MLB AVERAGETJ Surgery%TJ Surgeries
PER 1000 IP> 2 mph57.4%1.03+1 to +2 mph24.3%0.96-0.9 to 0.9 mph39.8%1.58-2 to -1 mph14.3%0.96< -2 mph29.6%2.70

Therein lies the conundrum. While throwing harder did increase the prevalence of injury for starting pitchers in the study, it also increased the opportunities to get hurt, as pitchers who throw harder have much longer MLB careers than those who donâ€t throw as hard.

Ultimately, because we’ve found that throwing harder correlates to success and longevity, the risk of injury seems to be outweighed by the risk of ineffectiveness when it comes to establishing an MLB career.

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MLB Starters Are Throwing 100 MPH More Than Ever This Postseason


Image credit:
Yankees RHP Cam Schlittler (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

The never-ending rise of MLB velocity keeps forcing us to recalibrate what is considered top-tier velocity. Broadcasts uses to use flame graphics to highlight pitches that were in the upper 90s. Now, that’s just routine.

But even by today’s velocity standards, these playoffs are already special. This is the postseason of the 100+ mph starting pitcher.

Triple-digit heat was once reserved for the game’s best closers. Then it filtered down to other relievers. Now, it’s a benchmark multiple starters can reach, even if they throw more than 75 pitches.

During the 2025 regular season, starting pitchers fired a record 761 pitches at 100 mph or harder, nearly triple last yearâ€s total of 264. As recently as 2018, there were fewer than 200. The velocity surge is widespread: a record 23 starters touched triple digits this season.

That has carried into October. In the wild card round alone, starters have already unleashed 51 pitches at 100+ mph. That’s more than the entirety of the previous record in the 2020 postseason (48) with three rounds left to go in 2025.

That’s more 100+ mph pitches than starters and relievers combined to throw in the entirety of the 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 postseasons. Maybe that isn’t surprising when you consider how much harder pitchers thrown now than they did just 10-15 years ago.

But it’s also more 100+ mph pitches than starting pitchers threw in the 2021-2024 postseasons combined. There was just one all last postseason (Michael Kopech). This week we’ve seen Hunter Greene (28), Tarik Skubal (11), Cam Schlittler (11) and Garrett Crochet (1) all join the postseason Century Club.

Schlitter’s 11 100+ mph pitches in his postseason debut is already tied with Skubal for the ninth-most triple-digit pitches by a starter in the Statcast era (2008-2025), and more than twice what he managed in 73 regular-season innings. Greene and Skubal have both reached 101 mph this October, something only eight other postseason starters have ever done. And with Skubal advancing and Shohei Ohtani readying to make his first October start, more are likely coming.

But for all of this premium velocity, the gold standard of Statcast era postseasons remains Yordano Ventura. The Royals righthander joined Justin Verlander as the only two starters to throw 102 mph as a postseason starter. Ventura’s 10 101+ mph pitches in 2014 remains the postseason record for starting pitchers, as does his 32 100+ mph pitches in that postseason.

Ventura passed away in a car accident in Jan. 2017, but he left a lasting mark on the game and plenty of wondering of what could have been.

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