kansascity
Jacob Misiorowski, a product of Grain Valley High School, has been named the unanimous winner of the National League Cy Young Award, becoming the fourth Milwaukee Brewers pitcher to earn the honor. The 24-year-old right-hander's dominant season also culminated in the Brewers' first World Series championship, adding a historic individual accolade to his rapidly growing trophy collection.
Four years ago, Misiorowski was an LSU commit after spending a year at Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri. The Brewers selected the Grain Valley native with the 63rd overall pick in the MLB Draft, and that decision has now paid enormous dividends. Standing 6-foot-7, Misiorowski's record-breaking campaign places him among the rarest company in baseball history.
A Season for the Ages
Misiorowski's statistical output was nothing short of extraordinary. He posted a 16-5 record with a 1.80 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP, and 252 strikeouts over 30 starts and 174 2/3 innings. He led all of Major League Baseball in ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts, powering Milwaukee to a majors-best 103 wins. His performance earned him a unanimous Cy Young selection, making him the third pitcher since 2000 to win both the Cy Young and a World Series in the same season.
His postseason heroics further cemented his legacy. Misiorowski became the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2001 to win the Cy Young and also earn the winning decision in a World Series-clinching game in the same year. He is also the first to start and record the win in such a game since Orel Hershiser in 1988. In Game 5 of the World Series, he allowed just two hits and a walk over 5.2 innings, sealing the championship for Milwaukee.
Velocity That Defies Belief
The foundation of Misiorowski's dominance is his historic velocity. His fastball averaged 100.6 mph this season, an anomaly for a full-time starting pitcher, and his secondary offerings were similarly explosive. He threw more than 1,000 pitches at 100 mph or faster, more than doubling the previous record set by Jordan Hicks in 2018. He also threw more pitches at 101 mph or faster than every other pitcher combined from 2008 through 2026. His fastest pitch, a 105.5 mph heater in June against Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong, stands as the fastest ever thrown by a starter in the Statcast era.
But Misiorowski's precision matched his power. After a solid April in which he posted a 3.31 ERA over six starts, he established himself as the sport's premier pitcher with a 1.46 ERA over his final 24 starts (142 innings). That stretch featured a one-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts and no walks against the Phillies on June 12. He finished the year with 10 double-digit strikeout games and then added a 1.89 ERA over 19 innings in four playoff starts. At season's end, he was the youngest pitcher in MLB history to start three series in a single postseason.
Rising Star Recognized
Misiorowski's rise has been meteoric. The buzz began last year when he joined the NL All-Star team as a replacement after just five rookie starts. Though he struggled down the stretch with a 5.36 ERA over his final 10 outings, he still managed a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings across three postseason relief appearances. His first full season was a masterpiece, and now he joins Cam Schlitter of the New York Yankees, the AL Cy Young winner, as part of the fourth winning tandem under age 25 at season's end—the first such pairing since Zack Greinke and Tim Lincecum in 2009.
With the season over, Misiorowski is easing back into normal life after weeks of celebration. He recently went hunting with his father and attended a Chiefs game, simple pleasures that now feel surreal. As he told MLB Network, "It won't ever be normal again." For a pitcher who has redefined what is possible on a mound, normalcy may be a thing of the past.
Originally reported by kansascity.