If you thought you'd seen everything on a baseball diamond, think again. On May 8, Milwaukee Brewers rookie sensation Jacob Misiorowski delivered a first inning that will be talked about for years—and it wasn't just good, it was historic.
Facing the New York Yankees for the first time, the 23-year-old flame-thrower came out firing like no one before him. Misiorowski needed just 10 pitches to retire the side in order, striking out two and coming within a hair of an immaculate inning. But the real jaw-dropper? Every single one of those pitches clocked in above 102 miles per hour.
His final pitch of the frame—a 103.6 mph fastball that induced a flyout from none other than Aaron Judge—shattered the record for the fastest pitch ever thrown by a starting pitcher in the pitch-tracking era (which began in 2008). And he wasn't done there. His second pitch to Judge was 103.5 mph, also a record at the time. After a 103.1 mph offering just missed the zone, he came back with that 103.6 mph heater to get the out.
All told, Misiorowski threw the five fastest pitches ever tracked by a starting pitcher—all in a single inning. Coming into the night, there had only been three total fastballs of 103 mph or more thrown by a starter in the entire pitch-tracking era. Misiorowski matched that in his first few pitches, then threw seven more in the same inning.
He started the game by striking out former Brewers outfielder Trent Grisham and Ben Rice on swinging third strikes. Then, after the Judge battle, he faced Spencer Jones and pumped two more 103.6 mph seeds before freezing him with an 89 mph curveball for the strikeout. In total, Misiorowski unleashed nine pitches at 103 mph or more in the first inning alone—nearly matching the record for 103 mph pitches in an entire game (12).
To put that in perspective: Misiorowski threw more 103-plus mph pitches in that first inning than 17 entire MLB teams have thrown across all their games in the pitch-tracking era.
This performance came on the heels of his previous start on May 1, when he left after 5⅓ no-hit innings in Washington, D.C. due to cramping in his right hamstring. With two perfect innings to open this game, he had retired 25 consecutive batters between hits allowed—until Yankees shortstop José Caballero singled to center leading off the third to break the streak.
For a pitcher who already had scouts buzzing, this was a statement. Jacob Misiorowski didn't just face the Yankees—he redefined what velocity looks like from a starter. And he did it all before most fans had even settled into their seats.