BALTIMORE – No, there was nothing wrong with National League Cy Young Award frontrunner Jacob Misiorowski when he departed Sunday’s start against the Orioles after three innings.
It was all part of the Brewers’ plan to bring their 24-year–old ace in for a safe landing at the end of the club’s record-setting regular season.
Jackson Chourio became the first player in Major League history to secure a third 20-20 season before his 23rd birthday and rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt hit a pair of run-scoring singles in the Brewers’ 3-0 win at Camden Yards, completing a three-game sweep and giving Milwaukee (98-58) a new franchise record for victories with six games still to go.
There are still big games ahead. With one more victory or Braves loss, the Brewers would clinch a first-round bye in the postseason. With two more victories, the Brewers would secure the first 100-win season for an NL Central team since the 2016 Cubs. Then there’s the goal of claiming home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
But this franchise record was worth taking a moment to savor.
“It means a lot,” Misiorowski said. “It’s always a big deal to set a new franchise record. Hopefully there’s a few more and we get to a little bigger number.”
“I think it’s super important,” said Chourio. “We have an incredible group here, a special group. It just makes me really happy to be here and be a part of it. I’m proud of all the guys.”
“It’s a stepping stone. There’s a lot of work to be done,” said closer Trevor Megill, who completed the Brewers’ second consecutive shutout – the first time they’ve done that since July 2023. “It’s cool to be a part of three or four records since I’ve been here. Cool and all, but we’re not trying to be regular-season warriors.”
The regular season began with Misiorowski on the mound in March. They claimed first place in the NL Central for good with Misiorowski on the mound in May and took over MLB’s best record with Misiorowski on the mound in August. They clinched a fourth consecutive division title with Misiorowski on the mound last week. So it was fitting that he was also on the mound to begin the night they broke the franchise record for victories.
His 44-pitch outing was designed to be short, manager Pat Murphy said before the game, as a way to provide the right-hander a bit of a breather before what is expected to be a more normal outing in his regular-season finale against the Cardinals next weekend. The Brewers have employed a similar strategy in Spring Training, tapering starts late in camp before ramping back up once the regular season begins.
“They understand. They’re in on it,” Murphy said. “You don’t give them a finite number, you just tell them, ‘Hey, it’s going to be shorter.’”
All along, Misiorowski has rolled with whatever the Brewers pitching coaches have prescribed. When they told him they thought some extra rest would be good for him, he didn’t argue.
“I feel ready for everything,” Misiorowski said. “Whatever they’ve got.”
He’s met every challenge so far. Misiorowski leads the Majors in ERA (1.86), strikeouts (247), WHIP (0.80) and opponents’ average (.159) after his three scoreless innings against the Orioles, allowing one hit and no walks with four strikeouts.
With his first strikeout on Sunday night, Misiorowski pushed past Corbin Burns in 2021 for second place on the Brewers’ single-season leaderboard. The club record belongs to Ben Sheets, who struck out 264 batters in 2004.
“Like I’ve said countless times, it’s one of those things I’ll [look] back at 10 years down the line when I’m done, or however long it takes,” Misiorowski said. “Right now, you can’t look at that. You have to look at what’s coming.”
Misiorowski has thrown 169 1/3 innings this season, 28 more than he threw last season between Triple-A Nashville and the Brewers in the regular season and the postseason. The Brewers have been mindful of his workload all the way back to May and June, when he separated himself from the NL’s pack with a series of electric starts in which Misiorowski set standards for velocity for a starting pitcher.
Now he’s reaching the finish line, though neither Misiorowski nor the Brewers know how many games remain. They do know that one more Brewers victory or Braves loss would clinch a first-round bye for Milwaukee, meaning Misiorowski’s first postseason start would line up for Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday, Oct. 3 at American Family Field.
“I think people don’t realize how hard it is for any of the 30 teams to put themselves in this position, and that’s what makes me proud of these guys,” Murphy said. “We’re not the most experienced. We’re not the most talented. We’re not the ‘most’ a lot of things.
“But they’ve proven they’re a team, because it’s hard to win Major League games. And to win 98 of them, it tells you there’s a team in there. That’s why I’m really proud.”