It took exactly three pitches for Jacob Misiorowski to bend the night around his right arm.
Facing Pete Crow Armstrong in the first inning at American Family Field, the Milwaukee Brewers starter opened with 103 mph, followed with 104 mph, and then touched 105.5 mph. The pitch was fouled away, but the number did not fade into the box score. It instantly placed Misiorowski in rare company and gave a rivalry game against the Chicago Cubs a jolt before either lineup had settled in.
But one explosive fastball does not win a ballgame. Misiorowski still had to handle traffic, survive deep counts, and keep Milwaukee close long enough for the offense to answer. The Brewers eventually won 6 to 2, but the night mattered because their young starter paired historic power with one stubborn escape in the sixth.
A Record Book Fastball
Misiorowski’s 105.5 mph heater tied for the third fastest pitch recorded since MLB’s pitch tracking database began in 2008. Only Aroldis Chapman has thrown harder in that span, reaching 105.8 mph in 2010 and 105.7 mph in 2016. Ben Joyce also reached 105.5 mph in 2024, but Joyce and Chapman did it as relievers.
That distinction gives the pitch real weight. Relievers can attack in short bursts. Starters must carry their stuff through a lineup, survive adjustments, and still have enough left when the game bends toward trouble.
Misiorowski had already pushed his own ceiling earlier in June against the Philadelphia Phillies, when he reached 104.5 mph while striking out Kyle Schwarber during a one-hitter. Against the Cubs, he topped that mark almost immediately, then made the number sound even more absurd afterward when he told reporters–
“I think I slipped a little bit on that pitch. I think I’ve got a little more.”
The public reaction followed the obvious number. Pitching analyst Rob Friedman captured the internet mood by writing that Misiorowski did not look real. That was the easy takeaway. The more important one came much later, when the Cubs made the radar gun feel secondary.
The Cubs Made Him Work
Chicago did not treat the night like a helpless chase against velocity. The Cubs had a plan, and for long stretches, it worked.
They spoiled fastballs. They refused to give away any bats. Their patience forced Misiorowski to pitch with runners on base and disrupted the clean rhythm he usually creates with overpowering pace. The Cubs drew four walks, matching the total he had issued across his previous four starts combined.
Seiya Suzuki broke the no-hit bid with a solo homer, taking a slider and giving Chicago a 1 to 0 lead. It was a reminder that even 105.5 mph does not protect every pitch. Misiorowski still had to keep solving hitters after the highlight had already gone viral.
The hardest moment arrived in the sixth. Alex Bregman singled. Michael Busch and Suzuki worked walks. With two outs, the bases were loaded, the crowd was tight, and Ian Happ had a chance to pull the game away from Milwaukee.
Emptying The Tank In The Sixth
Misiorowski made history in the first inning, but he earned the night in the sixth.
Pitching coach Chris Hook came to the mound as the pitch count moved near 100. Milwaukee could have gone to the bullpen. Instead, the Brewers left Misiorowski in the game for one more confrontation with Happ.
He reached back and threw 102.8 mph on his 107th and final pitch. Happ swung through it. Misiorowski walked off the mound, pumping his fist while the ballpark finally released the noise it had been holding.
The 105.5 mph pitch made the record book. The 102.8 mph fastball with the bases loaded protected the game.
Misiorowski allowed just one run on two hits over six innings, striking out eight despite walking four. More importantly, he still found his peak velocity when the game demanded it most. He threw 55 pitches at 100 mph or higher, including 40 at 101 mph or higher. Those numbers are staggering, but the most useful detail for Milwaukee was his ability to keep the inning from breaking open.
Milwaukee Turned The Escape Into Offense
The Brewers rewarded him almost immediately.
Garrett Mitchell came up in the bottom of the sixth and crushed a two-run homer to right center, turning a one-run deficit into a 2-to-1 lead. Cooper Pratt walked, then David Hamilton ripped an RBI triple into the left field corner to make it 3 to 1.
A tight pitching duel had suddenly shifted. Milwaukee had spent much of the night searching for a clean swing against Colin Rea and the Cubs bullpen. Once Misiorowski escaped the bases-loaded jam, the Brewers played with a different charge.
William Contreras added a two-run homer in the seventh, sending a 449-foot shot into left center. Christian Yelich added an RBI double in the eighth. What started as a tense division opener ended with Milwaukee pulling away for its fifth straight win.
The victory also pushed the Brewers to 50 wins in 79 games, the fastest path to 50 victories in franchise history. They moved 7.5 games ahead of the Cubs in the National League Central, which made the night bigger than one velocity clip.
More Than A Viral Pitch
There will be plenty of time to talk about 105.5 mph. That number will follow Misiorowski because it should. Baseball rarely produces a pitch that forces everyone to reconsider what a starter can do.
Still, Milwaukee learned more from the parts of the outing that were messier.
The Cubs made him uncomfortable. They pushed him into deep counts. They got traffic on the bases. Suzuki punished a mistake. Happ came to the plate with the kind of chance that can change a division game.
Misiorowski answered anyway.
That is why the Brewers will not view this only as a radar gun moment. Anyone can go viral for one pitch. Throwing 102.8 mph to escape a bases-loaded jam in the sixth is what makes a starter feel different.
The 105.5 mph fastball will dominate social media all week. Inside Milwaukee’s clubhouse, the more valuable memory will be the grit it took to finish the job.
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FAQs
How fast did Jacob Misiorowski throw against the Cubs?
Jacob Misiorowski reached 105.5 mph against Pete Crow Armstrong in the first inning.
Was Jacob Misiorowski’s 105.5 mph pitch an MLB record?
It tied for the third-fastest tracked pitch since 2008 and was the fastest recorded by a starting pitcher.
Who did the Brewers beat in Jacob Misiorowski’s 105.5 mph game?
The Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 6 to 2 at American Family Field.
Why was Misiorowski’s sixth inning important?
He escaped a bases-loaded jam with a 102.8 mph fastball on his final pitch.
Who helped Milwaukee take the lead after Misiorowski’s escape?
Garrett Mitchell hit a two-run homer in the sixth, and David Hamilton followed with an RBI triple.
