Jacob Misiorowski to start World Series Game 1

Cristopher Sánchez finished second, a mere one point ahead of Chris Sale. Sánchez got six more second-place votes than Sale (17-11), but only three voters listed Sale lower than third, compared to seven for Sánchez. Behind Sánchez at 99 points and Sale at 98 were Yoshinobu Yamamoto at 63 points and Jesús Luzardo at 34. Mason Miller (four fifth-place votes) and Eduardo Rodriguez (two fifth-place votes) were the only other pitchers named on ballots. Misiorowski joins Rollie Fingers (1981), Pete Vukovich (1982) and Corbin Burnes (2021) as Brewers to win the Cy Young Award. Fingers and Vukovich, though, got the AL version of the award before the Brewers switched leagues in 1988.

Misiorowski is the overwhelming favorite to take home the hardware after establishing himself as the most dominant starter in baseball, forging a microscopic 1.80 ERA (2.12 xERA), 0.80 WHIP and 252/44 K/BB ratio across 174 2/3 innings. The 24-year-old flamethrower recorded 10 double-digit strikeout performances and allowed three earned runs or fewer in all but two of his 30 starts. Sale continued his remarkable late-career renaissance in Atlanta, delivering another stellar campaign with a 2.16 ERA (2.97 xERA), 0.98 WHIP and 200/31 K/BB ratio across 162 2/3 innings over 27 starts. He would have been the choice in just about any other season, but Misiorowski made the leap from hard-throwing phenom to an outright force of nature.

It really just seemed to be a cramp, but Misiorowski was still feeling it as he tried a warmup pitch and the decision was made to lift him. Misiorowski threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings before departing a 4-0 lead against the Rays. Even if not for the issue, it seems quite unlikely that he would have come back out for the seventh. JoJo Romero replaced him in the contest.

The flame-throwing right-hander struck out three batters in his World Series debut while issuing one free pass. He came out of the gate throwing smoke, hitting 103.5 mph on his very first pitch — the fastest pitch ever tracked in the World Series. He got seven swings and misses on 78 pitches in the game — five of those on his fastball which averaged 101.1 mph — while registering a CSW of 28 percent. His next assignment is likely to come on regular rest in Game 5 on Wednesday.

Misiorowski had to worked hard, as he threw 94 pitches before being pulled in the fifth. The 24-year-old struck out five while generating 10 swings and misses while topping out at 104 mph and averaging 100.7 with his heater; just a tick above his 100.6 mph average in the regular season. The issue was command, as he threw just 60 pitches for strikes and walked three. Misiorowski could be available for Game 4 if the Brew Crew need him, but more than likely, he’ll be asked to start Game 5 in Los Angeles; assuming there’s no sweep, of course.

If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. The Brewers will roll with exactly the same 26-man roster that they used to get past the Padres in the Division Series. The NLCS gets underway on Saturday evening in Milwaukee with an epic pitching showdown between Brewers’ ace Jacob Misiorowski and Dodgers’ star southpaw Tarik Skubal.

Misiorowski will square off against Dodgers trade deadline acquisition Tarik Skubal, who was reportedly pursued by the Brewers prior to the deal with Los Angeles, to kick off the best-of-seven opener in Milwaukee. Logan Henderson will start Game 2, and the plan is for Robert Gasser to get the nod in Game 3. There are plenty of narratives here, but the most compelling to monitor is whether Misiorowski can go shut down Los Angeles’ star-studded lineup multiple times to help lead the Brewers to the Fall Classic for the first time since 1982. The hard-throwing 24-year-old allowed two runs over four innings during his playoff debut against the Padres last weekend.

He struck out six. The Padres succeeded in fouling off a whopping 30 pitches in Misiorowski’s four innings, driving up his pitch count and leading to an early exit. Both runs scored in the second, an inning that featured that featured three straight singles with one out. The inning could have turned into a disastrous one after first baseman Jake Bauers tried and failed to get an out at home on a grounder., but Misiorowski was able to prevent further damage by getting Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado to ground out. Misiorowski figures to get the ball again in Game 5 if the NLDS goes the distance.

No surprise here. Brewers manager Pat Murphy confirmed that fellow youngster Logan Henderson will get the ball for Game 2. Misiorowski made the leap from hard-throwing rookie phenom to full-fledged front-of-the-rotation superstar this season with a microscopic 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 252/44 K/BB ratio across 174 2/3 innings over 30 starts. He’ll spearhead Milwaukee’s pitching staff when they open up postseason play against either the Padres or Cubs later this week.

In his final start before the postseason, Misiorowski picked up his 16th win and struck out five against two walks. It was a remarkable first full campaign for the 24-year-old, and he finishes the regular season with a 1.90 ERA and a remarkable 252/44 K/BB ratio over 174 2/3 innings. He’ll start Game 1 of the NLDS, either against the Cubs or Padres.