MILWAUKEE -- Jacob Misiorowski is a human tall tale, Paul Bunyan in navy and yellow, Bill Brasky with a baseball. The Milwaukee Brewers right-hander does things that do not sound real, only they are. The 6-foot-7 pitcher throws the baseball harder than any man before him. He will start Game 1 of the World Series on Friday at 8 p.m. ET, the first Fall Classic game for the franchise in 44 years.
What comes out of Misiorowski's mouth is also the stuff of lore inside the Brewers' clubhouse. Almost every Brewer can recount a Miz story with glee and laughter. Some are, by strict definition, unbelievable. Others strain credulity. All of them are free of malice, stream-of-consciousness musings that make people love him for more than his fastball.
"It's such an endearing quality," said Bob Zimmermann, his longtime pitching coach from the Kansas City area. "He's a humble, innocent guy."
On 22 occasions this season, Misiorowski threw a pitch at least 104 mph. His average fastball of 100.5 mph smashed the previous record for a qualified starting pitcher by 1.6 mph. That speed propelled the 24-year-old to a revelatory first full season. He led Major League Baseball with a 1.80 ERA, struck out 252 batters in 174⅔ innings, and is expected to win the National League Cy Young Award.
Rookie right-hander Logan Henderson, expected to start Game 2, recalled offseason bullpen sessions. Misiorowski said his fiancée, Elle Nicas, caught his throws. Henderson doubts she caught the hardest ones. Misiorowski confirmed Nicas helps with his offseason work, at least until he asks to throw a slider.
Misiorowski also claims he once had the greatest arm in catching history. He did play catcher, and his high school arm reached 97 mph. The hardest catcher throw in MLB's ball-tracking era, however, was 89.3 mph from Christian Bethancourt in 2016. There are always wisps of truth in Misiorowski's yarns.
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing