MILWAUKEE — Shohei Ohtani started the game with a home run against Jacob Misiorowski, but the Milwaukee Brewers‘ rookie pitcher ultimately prevailed.
After surrendering the 431-foot leadoff homer to Ohtani, Misiorowski rebounded impressively. He recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts, including striking out Ohtani himself in the third inning, as the Brewers defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 on Tuesday.
“It’s Shohei Ohtani,” Misiorowski acknowledged. “You kind of expect [that]. It’s cool to see him do it in action, but it fires me up even more coming back the next at-bat and striking him out. I’m right there. I think it was a moment of like, ‘OK, now we go.'”
Misiorowski, known for his fastball that frequently exceeds 100 mph, threw an 88.2 mph curveball on an 0-2 count that Ohtani hit for his 31st home run of the season, setting a Dodgers record for home runs before the All-Star break.
The home run was the 21st leadoff homer of Ohtani’s career. He later struck out swinging on a curveball in the third inning and walked to lead off the sixth. The walk was the only one issued by Misiorowski, who allowed four hits in the game.
“Really good stuff, aggressive in the zone,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “But what really stood out to me was his command and control.”
Misiorowski’s strong performance overshadowed that of three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw. Before the game, Kershaw admitted he didn’t know much about Misiorowski other than his high velocity.
“I know him now, huh?” Kershaw said after the game. “That was super impressive. That was unbelievable. It was really special. Everything. Obviously the velo, but he’s got four pitches, commands the ball. I don’t know how you hit that, honestly. That’s just really tough.”
Misiorowski was pleased to have made an impression on Kershaw.
“I saw something online that he didn’t know who I was, so I hope he knows me now,” Misiorowski said. “It’s kind of cool.”
In just five starts since being called up, Misiorowski has already secured wins against Kershaw and Paul Skenes, a frontrunner for NL Rookie of the Year. He also carried a perfect game into the seventh inning in another outing.
“He’s just broken the shell,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “He’s just out of the egg, all arms and legs. He’s still got gooey stuff coming off, you can see it, all arms and legs, but there’s something special about him.”
His statistics support that claim. Misiorowski boasts a 4-1 record with a 2.81 ERA and has allowed only 12 hits in 25⅔ innings.
On Tuesday, he reached a peak velocity of 101.6 mph, throwing 20 pitches at or above 100 mph. He also increased his usage of the curveball, throwing it 19 times after relying on it only 10% of the time previously.
This strong performance followed a less successful outing against the New York Mets, where he allowed five runs, including a grand slam to Brandon Nimmo, and walked three batters in 3⅔ innings.
After Ohtani’s leadoff homer, it appeared the game might follow a similar pattern. However, Misiorowski rebounded, striking out 12 of the subsequent 16 batters.
“I think that’s my job, is to figure it out on the fly,” he said. “I feel like I did it tonight.”
He escaped a jam in the sixth inning with runners on second and third and only one out. Third baseman Andruw Monasterio fielded a ground ball and threw out Ohtani at home, and Misiorowski then induced a groundout from Michael Conforto to end the threat.
Misiorowski celebrated with a fist pump as he headed to the dugout and watched the Brewers’ bullpen secure the victory.
“It’s so satisfying,” Misiorowski said. “It’s just a dream come true, to do what I did.”
