Misiorowski and Brewers’ bullpen set Opening Day strikeout record
In an era where strikeouts are common, excelling in this statistic is a challenge. However, what Brewers’ opener, Jacob Misiorowski, and his bullpen mates achieved on Opening Day was impressive. After allowing a home run by Chase Meidroth of the White Sox, Misiorowski and four Milwaukee relievers buried the ChiSox with a barrage of 20 strikeouts, leading the Brewers to a 14-2 victory on Thursday. When Misiorowski left the game after five innings, that home run was the only run he allowed and he accumulated 11 strikeouts, three more than any Brewers pitcher on an Opening Day.The velocity of his pitch, which exceeded three figures, put Misiorowski on the map last season, earning him accolades that led him to the National League All-Star team. Although he didn’t reach 100 miles per hour on Opening Day, his pitch was enough to induce 24 swings and misses from Chicago hitters.“Opening Days are wild. There’s a lot going on, a giant flag in the outfield. It’s great to see it, but there’s a lot of excitement, trying to figure it out. Giving up the home run sucks, but the guy hit it. So, well, onwards.”
Jacob Misiorowski
The game was already decided when Misiorowski left, but Aaron Ashby, Grant Anderson, DL Hall, and Jake Woodford continued with the strikeouts, adding nine more in the last four innings. Hall and Woodford struck out all the batters in their respective innings. When Woodford struck out Chicago pinch-hitter Derek Hill to end the game, the Brewers reached 20 strikeouts. This set a new franchise record and tied the MLB record for the most strikeouts in a nine-inning game. It’s the first time a team has achieved that amount in nine innings on Opening Day. The strikeouts were so quick that most of the media present didn’t realize the Brewers had tied such an important record. Manager Pat Murphy figured it out after asking what the MLB record was.“Much vertical. Estaba funcionando hoy.”
Jacob Misiorowski
Ten teams have struck out 20 batters in a nine-inning game. The last were the Mets, who did it against Pittsburgh on September 18, 2022.“I don’t see it as historical in terms of how [Misiorowski] pitched. I think he did very good things and matured, which is what we expect. I think that’s what’s exciting.”
Pat Murphy
