MILWAUKEE — A Night of Highlights and Hardship
As Friday’s game approached, all eyes were on Spencer Jones. Yet, the real excitement stemmed from Jacob Misiorowski, another 2022 draft pick. This Brewers’ pitcher stole the spotlight on Jones’ MLB debut, leading the Yankees to a 6-0 defeat with his powerful fastball.
Jones had a tough night, going 0-for-2 with two strikeouts and a walk. Misiorowski, on the other hand, was dominant, allowing only four hits over six shutout innings, with an impressive 11 strikeouts. The Yankees, sitting at 26-13, could manage just two hits—both singles from Jose Caballero—as Misiorowski silenced their previously explosive offense.
“He’s got a fantastic fastball,” Jones remarked. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pitch thrown this hard before. It’s pretty cool to get so many fouls, so, uh, I’m just going to roll with it for now.”
Max Fried struggled in the second inning after throwing 40 pitches, which ultimately cost him. Although he made it through six innings, the damage was substantial, and the Brewers relied heavily on Misiorowski’s performance. Fried expressed disappointment, saying, “We didn’t do our part to stay competitive and let the offense connect.” He acknowledged feeling less competitive as the game progressed.
The Yankees picked Jones with the 25th overall pick in 2022, while the Brewers selected Misiorowski a little later with the 38th pick. Standing at 6-foot-7, Misiorowski made waves last season and has shown himself to be among the best pitchers this year.
Friday marked a historic outing for Misiorowski. He faced notable hitters like Trent Grisham, Ben Rice, and Aaron Judge, needing just 10 pitches to retire them. Striking out both Grisham and Rice on three pitches each, he also got Judge to fly out. His five fastest pitches recorded the highest speeds by a starting pitcher since 2008.
His fastball velocities reached up to 163.2 mph, with the slowest being 162.3 mph. Manager Aaron Boone commented on Misiorowski’s effectiveness, noting, “He did a great job taking the lead. It’s not just his velocity but the way he delivers the pitch from that low slot that complicates things.” He added that there were moments when his team had solid at-bats, but withsuch a significant lead, it was challenging to catch up.
Misiorowski, at 24, didn’t relent. He clocked 163.6 mph twice more while pitching to Jones, who averaged 161.1 mph himself on 57 four-seam fastballs. Combining this speed with a slider averaging 95.6 mph, as well as a curveball and changeup, he effectively handled a Yankees lineup that had been scoring at will lately.
The Yankees found some hope in the fifth inning when Jones walked and Caballero hit a single. But Misiorowski extinguished that threat with a stunning pitch against Austin Wells and then struck out Ryan McMahon.
Fried started strong against the Brewers, needing only nine pitches in the first inning, but encountered problems soon after. He allowed a lead-off single to former Yankee Gary Sanchez and walked the subsequent two batters, both on fastballs. Eventually, the Brewers capitalized on bloop singles that fell in the right spots, leading to a 4-0 deficit. Brandon Lockridge, a former Yankees prospect, contributed an RBI in the third but later had to be carted off after colliding with the left-field wall while attempting to catch a foul ball.
Jake Byrd was warming up as the game wore on, but Fried pushed through despite a busy previous two days. He struck out the next two batters, which may have saved him from being pulled early. “It was just one of those games,” Fried said reflectively. “I needed to make it happen, but I just couldn’t get it done.”
