On Tuesday night in Milwaukee, a thrilling baseball showdown took place between the and the Brewers. Beyond the excitement of their current positions in the NL playoff race, the pitching duel was especially notable. Clayton Kershaw, a future Hall of Famer, achieved his 3,000th career strikeout, while the Brewers’ rookie Jacob Misiorowski, in only his fifth career start, showed remarkable skill.
Misiorowski delivered a solid performance, allowing two runs on six hits over six innings. Despite giving up a homer to Shohei Ohtani to start the game, he managed to control the powerful lineup with an effective mix of fastballs, sliders, and particularly his curveballs, which generated numerous swings and misses.
During his six innings on the mound, Misiorowski conceded just one run on four hits, walked one batter, and struck out 12, setting a new rookie record for the Brewers (surpassing Freddy Peralta’s 13 strikeouts set in 2018). Highlights include his dominant strikeouts of stars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. Currently holding a 4-1 record with a 2.81 ERA and 0.90 WHIP, Misiorowski has shown significant improvement in his control, walking only 11 batters over 25 innings.
According to CBS Sports research, Misiorowski is the second modern-era pitcher to allow one run or fewer with fewer than six hits over his first three home starts. With a Brewers win and a Cubs loss to Minnesota, Milwaukee now trails by just 2.5 games in the NL Central. Meanwhile, the suffered their fifth consecutive loss for the first time since May 2024 but notably won the World Series that season.
The series will conclude with a day game on Wednesday in Milwaukee, featuring a pitching duel between Brewers left-hander Jose Quintana and ‘ Tyler Glasnow, who returns from injury.
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Fan Take: This matchup highlights the emergence of exciting new talent like Jacob Misiorowski while celebrating the enduring greatness of legends such as Clayton Kershaw. It’s a thrilling blend of baseball’s present and future that keeps fans eagerly anticipating the sport’s evolving storylines and playoff drama.