The 2026 Major League Baseball postseason is officially down to its final four teams, and with the League Championship Series kicking off this Sunday, the biggest question for the Milwaukee Brewers isn’t *if* their young phenom Jacob Misiorowski is elite, but *how much* elite baseball he has left in him. These best-of-seven battles for the pennants are about to decide the World Series matchup, and Misiorowski’s performance could absolutely make or break Milwaukee’s dreams.
Jacob Misiorowski: The Hardest Thrower Who Needs to Be Peak
Brewers fans know exactly what they have in 24-year-old Jacob Misiorowski. This dude is the hardest-throwing starting pitcher the game has ever seen, straight up. He’s not just some flamethrower; he’s the heavy frontrunner for NL Cy Young honors this season. His numbers are insane: a 1.8 ERA, a ridiculous .8 WHIP, and he racked up 252 strikeouts across 174.2 innings, with only 44 walks. If Milwaukee is going to take down the back-to-back World Series champs and make it to the Fall Classic for the first time since 1982, Misiorowski *has* to show up in peak form. The expectation is huge for him to carry this team.
The Unprecedented Workload and What It Means for Milwaukee
Here’s where things get interesting, and maybe a little concerning. While Misiorowski is a certified ace, his workload in 2026 is personally unprecedented. Last season, combining his time in the minors, majors, and playoffs, he pitched 141 ⅓ innings. This year, his regular season and postseason innings tally has already jumped to 178 ⅔ innings. Think about that. He’s thrown 2,735 pitches this season, and a mind-blowing 1,167 of those registered 100 mph or faster. That’s more than double what Padres closer Mason Miller, who’s second on that list, put up! The Brewers have managed him responsibly, with 26 of his 30 regular-season starts coming on extra rest, and he only threw 100 pitches or more in a start three times, with his highest pitch count hitting a reasonable 107. But when a young pitcher who throws absolute rockets sees that kind of year-over-year innings jump, you’ve gotta wonder. He did allow two runs in four innings against the Padres in Game 1 of the NLDS, which isn’t awful, but his September numbers show his worst monthly K% and BB% of the season. That’s a sign, maybe, of a dude starting to feel it.
Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy is throwing Misiorowski in Game 1, which lines him up for Game 5, and who knows, maybe even a critical relief appearance if things go to a Game 7. The Brewers need him to be lights out if they want to get past the Dodgers and represent the National League in the World Series. The ALCS between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians also starts Monday, but all eyes in the senior circuit will be on Misiorowski to see if he can push past his monster workload and deliver.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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