CHICAGO -- Jacob Misiorowski says he feels as sharp going into September as he did on Opening Day. That’s a good thing, because there is plenty to pitch for.
“I feel just as sharp as I did on Opening Day,” Misiorowski said after his last start against the Mets, when asked about a recent dip in his velocity. “I think it’s just a part of it. The body’s tired. Everyone’s tired. It’s August going into September. It’s part of it.”
Misiorowski will make his first start of September on Wednesday as the Brewers and Cubs continue their four-game clash at Wrigley Field. It’s an opportunity for Misiorowski to beat the Cubs for the third time this year, and to start strong in the final month of what has been a remarkable regular season. Entering Tuesday, he led the Majors in ERA, strikeouts, WHIP and opponents’ batting average.
The Brewers will be mindful of Misiorowski’s workload along the way, balancing their desire to clinch not only the National League Central but one of the NL’s top two seeds, which come with a first-round bye in the postseason. Misiorowski has already pitched 151 innings, eclipsing his career-high of 141 1/3 innings between Triple-A and the Majors in 2025, including his 12 playoff innings.
September offers Misiorowski the opportunity to etch his name in the record books alongside some of the game’s greats. For all below statistics, we’re using 150 innings as the minimum.
OPPONENTS’ AVERAGE
.150 Misiorowski, 2026
.167 Pedro Martínez, 2000
.168 Luis Tiant, 1968
.171 Nolan Ryan, 1972
.172 Nolan Ryan, 1991
How great is it that Nolan Ryan is on this list twice nearly two decades apart as a 25-year-old California Angel and a 44-year-old Texas Ranger? Batting average is no longer the benchmark of choice in baseball, but it’s emblematic of how hard Misiorowski is to hit.
WHIP
0.74 Pedro Martínez, 2000
0.76 Misiorowski, 2026
0.78 Walter Johnson, 1913
0.80 Justin Verlander, 2019
0.81 Addie Joss, 1908
Martínez, Johnson and Joss are in the Hall of Fame and Verlander is a lock to join them. The top 10 single-season WHIPs include some more Hall of Famers: Greg Maddux, Ed Walsh and Christy Mathewson. The top 20 has more names like Grover Cleveland Alexander, Zack Greinke, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax and Clayton Kershaw.
ERA
Misiorowski’s 1.73 ERA is 105th best among pitchers who have logged at least 150 innings in a season, according to the Baseball-Reference database. Red Sox left-hander Dutch Leonard tops the list with his 0.96 ERA in 1914. The best mark within the last 100 years belongs to Bob Gibson, whose 1.12 ERA in 1968 provided the impetus for MLB to lower the mound the following season.
That year -- 1969 -- is a good starting point for this one. Here are the top 10 ERAs since 1969 among pitchers with 150-plus innings:
1.53 Dwight Gooden, 1985*
1.56 Greg Maddux, 1994*
1.63 Greg Maddux, 1995*
1.66 Zack Greinke, 2015
1.70 Jacob deGrom, 2018*
1.72 Mark Eichhorn, 1986
1.73 Misiorowski, 2026
1.74 Pedro Martínez, 2000*
1.74 Ron Guidry, 1978*
1.75 Justin Verlander, 2022*
(*won Cy Young Award)
STRIKEOUT RATE
39.9% Gerrit Cole, 2019
38.9% Misiorowski, 2026
38.4% Chris Sale, 2018
37.5% Pedro Martínez, 1999
37.4% Randy Johnson, 2001
Modern pitching management means Misiorowski will never threaten 1886 Baltimore Oriole Matt Kilroy’s all-time record of 513 strikeouts in a season from an era in which the mound stood 50 feet from home plate and it took until Ball 6 to draw a walk. Even Ryan’s modern mark of 383 strikeouts in 1973 feels out of reach.
But Misiorowski, whose 222 punchouts in 2026 lead the Majors, does have the Brewers franchise record in his sights. Ben Sheets set the club record with 264 strikeouts in 2004, leaving Misiorowski 42 away. The question is how many starts he has remaining in the regular season. Four or five looks like his best bet, depending on what happens in the postseason race.
MORE FUN WITH NUMBERS
• Misiorowski’s adjusted ERA (239) is 15th all-time, and the best mark since Martínez’s record-setting 291 in 2000. The only other better ERA+ since the mound was lowered in 1969 belongs to Maddux (271 in 1994 and 260 in 1995) and another Martínez season (243 in 1999).
• Misiorowski’s .242 opponents’ slugging percentage is fifth lowest all-time, using 150 innings as the threshold. But what’s revealing is to compare the difference to league average at the time. That shows what an outlier Misiorowski has been this season.
.229 Ed Walsh, 1910 (.326)
.233 Dutch Leonard, 1914 (.337)
.234 Babe Ruth, 1916 (.326)
.236 Bob Gibson, 1968 (league average, .340)
.242 Misiorowski, 2026 (league average, .400)
“He knows he’s got a big fastball and has the ability to blow it by some guys,” said Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio. “But he also has the ability to pitch and mix in the other pitches when the game is telling him to. It’s really just fascinating to be able to watch.”