Jacob Misiorowski Threw 101.9 mph Average Fastballs and Nobody in Baseball Is Ready For That Kind of Heat

Jacob Misiorowski was absolutely untouchable Friday night at Nationals Park, firing fastballs so hard that baseball's tracking systems had to sit up and pay attention. Through five perfect innings, the 24-year-old Brewers righty had seven strikeouts, just two walks, and zero hits allowed. Then a hamstring cramp ended the show in the sixth.

Here's what made this night historically wild: Misiorowski's average fastball velocity in the first inning alone was 101.9 mph. That's the fastest fastball average by any starter in any inning in the entire pitch-tracking era (going back to 2008). Not a single pitch. The average. He also threw a 103.0 mph fastball to Curtis Mead that ranks as the third-fastest pitch ever thrown by a starter since tracking began.

Record-Setting Velo That Almost Nobody Else Can Touch

The strikeout of Luis García Jr. in the first inning on a 102 mph fastball was Misiorowski's fourth career strikeout on a pitch that fast. The other three starters combined (Hunter Greene, Tarik Skubal, Yordano Ventura) have four total since 2008. He alone matched all of them. And before the cramp ended his night, Misiorowski had already thrown 43 pitches at 100 mph or higher, the third-most ever thrown by a single pitcher in a single game.

"It all felt really good, felt like one of the best nights of the year so far," Misiorowski said after exiting. He struck out the side in the fifth on just 11 pitches, then felt the cramp coming during warmups before the sixth. He struck out Jacob Young to open the frame, threw a strike to James Wood, and that's when Brewers manager Pat Murphy made the call to the bullpen. Aaron Ashby took over.

The No-Hitter That Got Away

Ashby kept the no-hitter alive through the sixth, but the bid died on a bloop double to left from Daylen Lile in the seventh. The Brewers won 6-1 anyway. A no-hitter would have been the first in MLB in 20 months and just the third in franchise history dating back to the 1969 Seattle Pilots.

Misiorowski said he didn't even know about the no-hitter until he was getting treatment. As for Ashby, he caught a glimpse around the fifth inning, then immediately forgot about it once he stepped into the dugout. "I'd looked up maybe in like, the fifth, and I was like, 'Dang, there's a zero up there,'" Ashby said. "And then basically forgot about that until I got in the dugout."

The Brewers aren't overly concerned about the cramp. This is the second time Misiorowski's dealt with one, including during his 2025 debut when he threw five-plus hitless frames. Manager Pat Murphy said they're hopeful heading into the next start but won't test it too hard. "We're not going to test it right now, because we're afraid he might cramp again," Murphy said.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.