Headlined by Miz-Fried, Yanks & Brewers clash for first time since torpedo-bat stir

Remember when torpedo bats were a thing? Er … they’re still a thing. Various players around MLB use them every day.

But they’re not A THING like they were just over a year ago, when the Yankees clobbered the Brewers in a three-game sweep to open 2025, outscoring the Crew 36-14. The Bronx Bombers hit 14 home runs, with a bevy of history made between them, and brought a ton of eyeballs to the relatively new bat style in the process.

Well, the Yankees travel to Milwaukee this weekend to play the Brewers in the first meeting between the teams since that high-profile series last season. New York is still mashing, off to an MLB-best 26-12 start (tied with the Braves and Cubs) with an MLB-best 61 long balls to boot.

But at least one key thing will be different this time around.

The Yankees will have to get past phenom Jacob Misiorowski in Friday’s series opener after he was still in Triple-A during last year’s set. The flame-throwing righty has been excellent, boasting a 2.84 ERA over his first seven starts.

Misiorowski owns a gaudy 38.1% strikeout rate, tops among qualified starters in 2026, and has struck out at least seven hitters in six of his outings -- crossing double-digits twice.

In his past two starts on May 1 and April 25, Misiorowski fired 43 and 39 pitches at 100+ mph, respectively. Those marks rank third and tied for fourth for most in a game in the pitch-tracking era (2008), with only Reds star Hunter Greene ahead of him. “The Miz” took a no-hitter into the fifth inning against the Nationals his last time out before exiting with a right hamstring cramp.

However, Misiorowski is only one half of a marquee pitching matchup for Friday’s opener, scheduled for a 7:40 p.m. ET first pitch.

Max Fried will toe the rubber for the Yankees, holding a 4-1 record with a meager 2.39 ERA. Fried has provided length and consistency for a Yankees rotation that is among MLB’s best this season.

The rest of the series is full of pitching intrigue, with breakout star Cam Schlittler facing off against against former top prospect Kyle Harrison, who's off to a strong start to the season, on Saturday. Then, Carlos Rodón is expected to make his season debut on Sunday for the Yankees against Logan Henderson.

Buckle up.