Jacob Misiorowski faced perhaps the stiffest test yet of his sensational rookie campaign Tuesday against the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
He passed, with honors.
Misiorowski allowed a leadoff home run to Shohei Ohtani on the third pitch of the game. From there, he struck out 12 and didn’t allow another run to power the Brewers to a 3-1 win.
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It added up to another sensational outing from the hard-throwing right-hander, who outdueled Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw to pick up the win.
Los Angeles hitters posted a season-high 15 strikeouts for the game as the Dodgers lost their fifth straight and their second straight to the Brewers. They remain in control of the NL West with a 56-37 record. The Brewers improved to 52-40 to move within three games of the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.
Misiorowski fired up for final out of his night
Misiorowski showcased his heat with 21 fastballs that hit 100-plus mph on the radar gun. He balanced it with a sweeping slider and a diving curveball that repeatedly baffled the Dodgers.
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When he got into his only jam of the night, he got an assist from a stellar Brewers defense and unleashed a celebratory fist pump when the inning was done.
“I was just in disbelief that I got out of the inning,” Misiorowski told TBS after the game. “You’re facing the Dodgers. It’s just a wave of emotions to finally do what you were dreaming of doing.”
Ohtani HR doesn’t spell doom for Misiorowski
Misiorowski’s night got off to an inauspicious start. He put Ohtani in an 0-2 hole to lead off the game. But he left a third-pitch curveball over the inside of the plate that Ohtani launched over the centerfield wall for his NL-best 31st home run of the season.
It threatened to be a real welcome-to-the-big leagues moment from the three-time MVP in the fifth start of Misiorowski’s MLB career. But Misiorowski didn’t rattle.
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Misiorowski’s sensational stuff
The 23-year-old proceeded to strikeout 10 of the next 13 batters he faced without issuing a walk. He was one pitch away from an immaculate inning in the second after striking out Michael Conforto and Hyeseong Kim on six pitches.
He ended up allowing a single to Dalton Rushing, but ended the inning with no damage thanks to a strikeout of James Outman.
His second time through the Dodgers order went better than his first. He struck out Ohtani with a 2-2 curveball in the third inning before ending the inning with a swinging strike three of Freddie Freeman to keep the Brewers within 1-0.
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He recorded two more strikeouts in the fourth before Brewers bats finally got to Kershaw with two runs in the bottom of the inning for a 2-1 Milwaukee lead.
Misiorowski added two more strikeouts in the fifth inning, including a four-pitch effort that got Outman swinging on a 99 mph fastball on the outside corner.
In the sixth inning, Misiorowski got into his first jam. He promptly worked out of it with some help.
Brewers defense steps up to preserve lead
Misiorowski issued a leadoff walk to Ohtani on a full count, then allowed an infield hit to Mookie Betts. A Freddie Freeman groundout advanced the runners to second and third with one out.
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Andy Pages then hit a ground ball to third base, and Ohtani took off running for home. Third baseman Andruw Monasterio made the heads-up play to throw for home, and Ohtani never stood a chance. He was tagged out for the second out of the inning on a perfect throw.
A groundout to first by Conforto ended the inning, and Misiorowski’s night was done.
In the end, he allowed four hits including the home run to Ohtani while issuing a single walk. His 12 strikeouts marked a career high in the second of his five MLB starts that extended to six innings. He threw 68 of his 91 pitches for strikes.
The outing lowered his ERA from 3.20 to 2.81. And he picked up a win against a future Hall of Famer in Kershaw who was fresh off recording the 3,000th strikeout of his career.
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In a rookie campaign already featuring multiple standout efforts, Tuesday’s against the Dodgers may be Misiorowski’s best yet.
