Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski ready for the playoffs after completing his history-making regular season

MILWAUKEE (AP) — After completing one of the most extraordinary regular seasons of any pitcher in recent history, Milwaukee Brewers flame-throwing right-hander Jacob Misiorowski cited the one number that meant the most to him.

Thirty.

That’s the number of starts Misiorowski made in his first full season in the majors while establishing himself as a Cy Young Award favorite.

“Honestly, being able to go in week in and week out and perform for my teammates, I think that’s the biggest thing,” Misiorowski said Sunday in reference to the number of starts he made this season.

Misiorowski (16-5) made that 30th start Sunday and allowed two hits in 5 1/3 scoreless innings in a 6-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals to cap one of the greatest seasons for any pitcher in franchise history. The 24-year-old could join Rollie Fingers (1981), Pete Vukovich (1982) and Corbin Burnes (2021) as Brewers to win Cy Young Awards.

His performance Sunday helped the Brewers close the regular season with a franchise-best 103-59 record.

“That number, I think it’s cool,” Misiorowski said. “It’s not 100. It’s not 101. It’s a little bit more than that. It just shows the work these guys in here have put in and done throughout the season.”

Misiorowski has put up plenty of pretty cool numbers this year.

He posted a 1.80 ERA, struck out 252 batters and limited hitters to a .157 batting average to lead the major leagues in all three categories. The only other pitchers since 1950 to finish a season atop all three of those categories are Sandy Koufax in 1965, J.R. Richard in 1976 and Mike Scott in 1986, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

That .157 opponents’ batting average was the lowest since 1900 for an AL or NL pitcher with 100 or more innings, improving upon Pedro Martinez’s .167 in 2000. His 0.80 WHIP (walks and hits allowed per innings pitched) was the lowest in a full regulation season for pitchers with at least 150 innings since Martinez’s 0.73 in 2000.

Misiorowski is the first pitcher in Brewers history to lead the league in both ERA and strikeouts in the same season. His 252 strikeouts are the second-highest, single-season total in Brewers history, behind Ben Sheets' 264 in 2004.

“Have I ever seen a year on the mound like that in the major leagues? Probably not,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “It’s as good as I’ve seen.”

Misiorowski has produced those totals while throwing harder than any other starting pitcher.

His 1,115 pitches of 100 mph or more were the most in a season since tracking started in 2008, shattering the prior mark of 673 by Jordan Hicks in 2018.

“What he has is a gift,” Brewers second baseman Brice Turang said. “It’s really incredible to stand there behind him and watch him do what he does.”

The American Family Field sellout crowd showed its appreciation for Misiorowski by giving him a standing ovation as he left the mound after striking out Jordan Walker in the sixth inning. Misiorowski responded by tipping his cap as he headed into the dugout, acknowledging a special moment that capped a special regular season.

“That was fun,” Misiorowski said. “That was cool. Hopefully there’s a few more like that.”

Misiorowski wants to help the Brewers win their first World Series title.

Although Milwaukee is heading to the playoffs for the eighth time in nine years, the Brewers have never won it all and made their lone World Series appearance way back in 1982. Milwaukee has home-field advantage throughout the playoffs for a second straight year.

During last year’s postseason, Misiorowski made three relief appearances and posted a 1.50 ERA with 16 strikeouts over 12 innings as the Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs in the NL Division Series before getting swept by the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series.

This year, Misiorowski enters the playoffs as the Brewers’ clear ace. He’s expected to get the call for Game 1 of the NLDS when the Brewers face either the Chicago Cubs or San Diego Padres on Saturday.

Misiorowski was asked Sunday when he’d start to flip the switch toward getting ready for the postseason.

“That flipped a while back,” Misiorowski said. “We’re ready to go.”

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