ATLANTA (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski had another strong outing against the Atlanta Braves on Friday night, topping out at 104.2 mph, but it may not have been strong enough.
Misiorowski went six innings and gave up two runs on five hits while striking out seven, but he was pulled with the Brewers trailing 2-1.
It was the first time since April 25 Misiorowski gave up more than one run in a game. He entered on a historic roll, giving
up just one earned run over 54 1/3 innings in a span of eight starts.
He threw 54 pitches of at least 100 mph, according to Statcast, including a record 47 of 101 mph or higher since tracking started in 2008. The previous high for 101 mph or more was 45 by Misiorowski on June 6 at Colorado.
He topped out at 104.2 on Friday on a ball to Eli White that was low and outside in second inning.
The Braves touched him for two runs in the sixth inning on a bases-loaded single by Mauricio Dubón as his major league-leading ERA rose from 1.34 to 1.45.
Misiorowski has pitched well all season, but his 95-pitch, 15-strikeout, one-hit shutout of the Phillies on June 12 turned the spotlight on him like never before.
“He’s got a lot coming at him, and luckily I think a lot of that bounces off him,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said before Friday's game. “I really respect how he lives his life that way. He clearly understands what’s important, that he’s got his priorities in order and hopefully it stays that way.”
Misiorowski entered Friday's start averaging 100.1 mph on his fastball, the fastest ever for a starter in the pitch-tracker era. He hit 104.5 mph in his start against the Phillies on a night where he threw at least 103 mph 13 times, including three times in the ninth.
Braves manager Walt Weiss discussed the challenges of facing the 6-foot-7 right-hander.
"It's big-time extension with big-time velocity, so the ball is on you,” he said. “(He) throws strikes, so you have to be aggressive. You've got to be ready to fire. It's a tough guy to have two strikes against, because he's punching people out.”
This was Misiorowski's first time facing the Braves, though he has pitched at Truist Park. Misiorowski threw a scoreless eighth inning for the National League in last year's All-Star Game in Atlanta, making the team after just five career starts.
He was originally scheduled to oppose one of the pitchers he says he's long admired in the Braves' Chris Sale, but a rainout on Thursday in Atlanta pushed Sale's start to Saturday.
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