Jacob Misiorowski just wrapped up one of the most dominant pitching seasons in Major League Baseball history, ending the year with an unbelievable .157 average against, which is the lowest ever by any qualified starting pitcher. Yeah, you read that right. The *lowest. Ever.* And to think, this insanity kicked off with Chase Meidroth taking him deep for a solo shot on opening day! Talk about a crazy beginning to what became an absolutely legendary run.
He Outdid Legendary Pitchers, Seriously
After that initial moonshot, Misiorowski dialed it in and then some. By the time he walked off the mound on September 27th, capping his regular season with 5 1/3 scoreless innings against the Cardinals, the dude had the sellout crowd on its feet, giving him a well-deserved standing ovation. He closed out the year with a ridiculous 1.80 ERA over 174 ⅔ innings, punching out 252 batters while walking only 44. His 0.802 WHIP? That’s the third-best ever, only trailing absolute legends like Pedro Martinez in 2000 and Walter Johnson in 1913. His 1.80 ERA is the best in baseball since Justin Verlander’s 1.75 back in 2022, and his ERA+ rating, which adjusts for all the park and league weirdness, is the best since Martinez’s insane 2000 season. This guy wasn’t just good; he was putting up numbers you only see in history books.
The Numbers Are Getting Hard to Ignore
It gets even crazier when you dig deeper. From May on, Misiorowski was operating on another planet, posting a 1.46 ERA over his final 24 starts. In that span, he racked up 200 strikeouts and just 31 walks, with an absurd 0.72 WHIP. Eighteen of those last 24 starts? He allowed zero or just one earned run. Think about that for a second. His strikeout-minus-walk rate, at 31.3%, is the third best for any qualified starter ever, only behind Gerrit Cole’s 2019 and Pedro Martinez’s 1999 seasons. And if you’re into pure power, he threw 1,115 pitches over 100 mph this year. That’s the most in the pitch tracking era, and honestly, nobody in history has come close. He’s also the first pitcher in his franchise’s history to lead the league in both ERA and strikeouts. This isn’t just a good year; it’s a “did we just watch something we’ll never see again?” kind of year.
The National League Cy Young Award is basically a formality at this point for Misiorowski when they announce the winners in November. He even said he’s “still floating” and that “it doesn’t feel real,” admitting he never saw himself getting “this high” with his performance. Get ready to hear his name a lot, because this season was pure, unadulterated dominance.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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