Jacob Misiorowski Before the World Series: Short October Starts After a 174⅔-Inning Season

Jacob Misiorowski’s first two postseason starts required 182 pitches for 25 outs. Before the World Series, the contrast with his regular season is clearest in how hitters extended counts, rather than in a loss of his headline fastball speed.

The Brewers right-hander threw 174⅔ regular-season innings. His complete 30-start tracking baseline contains 2,647 physical pitches, compared with 88 in four innings against San Diego on October 3 and 94 in 4⅓ against Los Angeles on October 11. Those postseason starts totaled 8⅓ innings, three runs, 11 strikeouts and four walks.

Across the two October appearances, hitters missed 21 times in 94 swings, a 22.3% rate. The regular-season baseline was 506 misses in 1,357 swings, or 37.3%. That is a substantial difference within this declared sample, although two starts against different postseason lineups cannot establish a permanent change.

Foul balls help explain why velocity and strikeouts did not automatically produce longer outings. The two starts contained 51 fouls, 28.0% of all physical pitches. The regular-season baseline had 491 in 2,647 pitches, or 18.5%. Fouls extended plate appearances while keeping hitters alive with two strikes.

In the first inning against San Diego, Dustin Harris required nine pitches before grounding out. Misiorowski completed that inning after 25 pitches, then needed another 33 for the second. He had used 58 pitches before beginning the third. An out can therefore remain costly even when the plate appearance ends successfully.

The four-seamer remained central. He used it 122 times across the two starts, a 67.0% share compared with 63.4% in the regular season. Those fastballs averaged 101.0 mph, above the 100.6 mph baseline. The lower miss rate cannot be explained by an overall decline in that classification’s measured average speed.

The contact sample also differed. Twelve of 22 measured balls put in play reached at least 95 mph, a 54.5% hard-contact rate. The regular-season comparison was 120 of 358, or 33.5%. That small postseason denominator belongs beside the percentage, particularly when assessing how repeatable the difference might be.

The evidence describes two shorter starts built around familiar power but more extended contact. Rest before another appearance does not guarantee a different result. The next useful comparison is whether the fastball continues drawing fouls or turns more swings into misses, with workload, opponent and the complete pitch record kept together.

2026-10-03 outing

Inning four-seam sample sizes: 16, 21, 8, 15. Each chart restarts at inning1 for its own game. The NLCS fifth inning was partial; only one out was recorded.

2026-10-11 outing

Inning four-seam sample sizes: 11, 25, 12, 8, 6. Each chart restarts at inning1 for its own game. The NLCS fifth inning was partial; only one out was recorded.

Dustin Harris’ nine-pitch plate appearance, October 3

1. 4-Seam Fastball, 104.1 mph; 0–0; Ball
2. 4-Seam Fastball, 102.1 mph; 1–0; Called Strike
3. 4-Seam Fastball, 102.3 mph; 1–1; Ball
4. 4-Seam Fastball, 101.6 mph; 2–1; Swinging Strike
5. 4-Seam Fastball, 101.7 mph; 2–2; Ball
6. 4-Seam Fastball, 101.2 mph; 3–2; Foul
7. Cutter, 95.8 mph; 3–2; Foul
8. 4-Seam Fastball, 101.6 mph; 3–2; Foul
9. Curveball, 87.9 mph; 3–2; In play, out(s)

The rectangle uses the first pitch’s recorded strike-zone bounds. Individual bounds remain in the ledger. Numbered markers preserve exact centers and may overlap.

Sources and method

The target sample is every physical pitch from Misiorowski’s October 3 NLDS Game 1 and October 11 NLCS Game 1 starts: 88 plus 94, totaling 182. Each game reconciles by unique play ID, sequence, classification, pre-pitch count, batters faced, strikeouts and official total against the MLB final feed and Baseball Savant gamefeed. The separate charts preserve each outing’s inning sequence.

The baseline is his complete 30-start regular season, March 26 through September 27: 2,647 physical pitches and 524 outs, or 174⅔ innings. It excludes postseason games. Rates are calculated from unrounded counts. Pitch shares retain all physical pitches; whiffs include swinging strikes, blocked swinging strikes, foul tips and missed bunts. Fouls are counted separately from caught foul tips. Hard contact is at least 95 mph among measured balls put in play. Two regular-season balls in play lack exit velocity and are excluded only from the hard-contact denominator. The target has 22 measured balls in play.

Samples differ in opponent and size; the record does not identify fatigue, intent or a medical condition. October 3 tracking · October 3 official record · October 11 tracking · October 11 official record.