The 122nd World Series kicks off Friday night at American Family Field in Milwaukee, and listen up, because this is huge: we’re guaranteed a first-time champion. Neither the Brewers, established in 1970, nor the Rays, founded in 1998, have ever hoisted that trophy. It’s a fresh slate for one of these clubs, but for the National League-best Brewers, a big question mark hangs over their ace right out of the gate.
Misiorowski’s Ace Stuff Has Gone Missing
Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski, who is the likely NL Cy Young winner, hasn’t looked like himself this postseason. The guy who carved up hitters all year has struggled to get through five innings in either of his two starts. It’s not necessarily that he’s been shelled, but his pitch counts have ballooned. We’re talking 88 pitches for four innings in Game 1 of the NLDS, giving up two runs. Then in the NLCS Game 1, it was 94 pitches for just 4 ⅓ innings and one run allowed. His manager, Pat Murphy, even said on Thursday that Misiorowski “hasn’t been as crisp.”
What’s wild is that the velocity on his high-octane fastball is still insane. He’s been averaging a blistering 101.0 mph with his heater in the NLDS and NLCS. That’s actually *up* from his regular season average of 100.6 mph, and way above the MLB average of 94.7 mph. So, the heat is there. The problem? Hitters just aren’t swinging and missing like they used to. His swing-and-miss rate has plummeted from 40.2% in the regular season to a meager 16.1% this postseason. Meanwhile, the foul rate has skyrocketed from 38.9% to a whopping 67.9%. That’s it! Foul balls are running up his pitch count, plain and simple.
The Rays’ Contact-Hitting Machine Is a Huge Problem
So, Misiorowski is throwing gas, but hitters are making contact, even if it’s just fouling it off. Now, he’s staring down the barrel of the best contact-hitting offense in the entire sport. The Tampa Bay Rays had the lowest strikeout rate (18.8% of plate appearances) and the lowest whiff rate (20.7% of swings) during the regular season, and it wasn’t even close. The next closest team, the Blue Jays, was a distant second with a 22.2% whiff rate.
You see the dilemma here, right? Misiorowski is having trouble making hitters miss, and he’s facing a lineup built to *not* miss. Rays manager Kevin Cash talked about the intensity of the ALCS, and you bet that intensity will carry over. He said, “I’m a heck of a lot happier we’re in this situation now coming out on the other side of that. Those games, they were intense, there was a lot of anxiety in them, but I felt that same intensity and anxiety in the ALCS just two or three days ago. Excited to go and watch our guys do their thing in the next week to ten days.” This team is ready to grind.
Game 1 Stakes Are Sky-High
Winning Game 1 of a best-of-seven series historically gives you a significant leg up. In the World Series, the Game 1 winner has gone on to win the whole thing 64% of the time. While it’s not a guaranteed lock , look at the Dodgers losing Game 1 last year to the Blue Jays at home and still coming back to win in seven , getting that first win is massive for momentum.
Tonight, all eyes are on Jacob Misiorowski. Can he rediscover those whiffs? Can he manage his pitch count against an offense that barely strikes out? Game 1 is going to set the tone for this entire Fall Classic. You do not want to miss it!
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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