The Milwaukee Brewers got off to a shaky start in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. Brewers manager Pat Murphy watched as Aaron Ashby started off the game giving up two straight hits and a run. The skipper could not take it anymore, taking him out of the game with just one out recorded. He turned to Jacob Misiorowski, a rookie, to take over.
Misiorowski burst onto the scene this season, earning a historic All-Star nod. As the year went on, he went from the starting rotation to the bullpen as the Brewers prepared for the postseason. He put up good numbers in his first two playoff outings, entering the NLCS with a 1.79 ERA over seven innings pitched. However, Thursday night's game saw him return to dominance.
Misiorowski made his way through five innings, giving up one earned run and notching nine strikeouts. What really stood out was his velocity, though. According to Major League Baseball statistician Sarah Langs, only one pitcher has more pitches faster than 102mph in the playoffs; Aroldis Chapman.
“Most 102.0+ mph pitches in postseason under pitch tracking (2008): Aroldis Chapman: 61 Jacob Misiorowski: 15 Mason Miller: 12 Brusdar Graterol: 7,” Langs said.
Chapman recorded one save in two outings in the American League Wild Card series. The veteran reliever holds a massive lead over Misiorowski. However, all signs point to the rookie eventually tracking the former All-Star down. Despite his success, he needs the Brewers to score a few runs in order to avoid a dreaded 0-3 deficit in the NLCS.
Murphy has done all he can to inspire a big comeback from Milwaukee. In order to find their way back into the series, the Brewers need Misiorowski and the rest of their bullpen to be at their best. Regardless of how his playoff run ends, Misiorowski has put a bow on what has been an exceptional rookie season.
