MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jacob Misiorowski dismisses the notion that a pitcher can enter any kind of zone where he’s practically unhittable.
But there must be something to explain the way he dominated hitters Sunday as the Milwaukee Brewers’ hard-throwing right-hander reached a few more milestones.
“I don’t think there is a zone,” Misiorowski said Sunday after striking out 12 of the first 13 batters he faced in an 11-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies. “I think it’s just pitching. I felt like myself and kept going.”
Misiorowski (11-4) set a Brewers franchise record by striking out seven straight hitters to open the game. He also broke his own record for the most 100-mph pitches in a single game since pitch tracking began in 2008.
The two-time All-Star reached 100 mph on 66 of his 83 pitches and hit a top velocity of 104.7. He had set the previous record June 12 by throwing 58 pitches of at least 100 mph during a 15-strikeout performance against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 12.
He threw 33 fastballs of at least 103 mph — more than twice as many as anyone else had ever thrown in a single game since pitch tracking began, according to MLB.com.
Misiorowski held the previous record with 14 pitches of 103 mph or greater, something he had done in two separate starts this season.
Misiorowski retired the first 14 batters he faced. According to Sportradar, he was the first person to strike out at least 11 batters and allow no hits through the first four innings of a game since the live-ball era began in 1920.
“His extension, his command of (the fastball) and the fact he’s got secondary stuff to go with it makes it even tougher,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.
Misiorowski didn’t have to utilize his secondary pitches very often Sunday. With Gary Sánchez working behind the plate, Misiorowski threw fastballs about 80% of the time.
“I don’t think that was the game plan going in,” said Misiorowski, who increased his MLB-leading strikeout total to 185. “I think that’s just what happened. Me and Gary kind of just ran with it. You saw the swings that they were getting at the top of the zone and kind of were just like, ‘Here it is,’ until they hit it.”
Colorado didn’t get anyone on base until Cole Carrigg hit an opposite-field homer off a 101.9-mph fastball with two outs in the fifth. No Rockies player had ever homered on a pitch that fast during the pitch tracking era.
Misiorowski then hit Willi Castro with a pitch before getting the final out of his five-inning stint.
Nobody from Colorado even put the ball in play until Misiorowski retired Troy Johnston on a fly to center for the second out in the fourth inning. The previous Brewers record for consecutive strikeouts to start a game had been set last year by Quinn Priester, who had six in a row to begin a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Sept. 18.
Pablo López owns the major-league record for consecutive strikeouts to open a game. He fanned the first nine Atlanta batters he faced in the Miami Marlins’ 7-4 triumph over the Braves on July 11, 2021.
The MLB record for consecutive strikeouts at any point within the same game is 10. That record is shared by Tom Seaver, Corbin Burnes and Aaron Nola.
Misiorowski’s outstanding performance comes as the Brewers remain careful with the two-time All-Star’s workload. The NL Central leaders want to make sure their ace is in peak form for a potential postseason run.
He has pitched 120 innings this season. He worked 141 1/3 innings last year, including his regular-season totals in the majors and minors plus his 12 postseason innings during Milwaukee’s run to the NL Championship Series.
Misiorowski lasted just four innings in an 8-3 victory over the New York Mets on Monday in his first start since July 7. He left after a 30-pitch fifth inning Sunday as his ERA actually rose to an MLB-best 1.58.
Misiorowski said he believes he’s strong enough to be “full go” for his next appearance, meaning he should go deeper into the game. Misiorowski said he used his legs better Sunday, which led to his consistent velocity.
“Sustaining the legs helps a lot,” Misiorowski said. “That’s where most of my velo comes from, is the lower half. It becomes a lot easier when you have all the pieces.”
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