The Milwaukee Brewers trail the Chicago Cubs by three games in the NL Central, but they’ve got a legitimate 1-2 punch that should keep them competitive down the stretch. Freddy Peralta anchors the rotation, while rookie Jacob Misiorowski has quickly established himself as a frontline starter.
Misiorowski took home NL Rookie of the Month honors for June, the league announced Thursday morning.
The 23-year-old right-hander from Blue Springs, Missouri has made quite an impression since his first MLB start in early June. His debut was electric – five no-hit innings that announced his arrival. The follow-up was even better, as he carried a perfect game into the 7th.
Misiorowski’s June numbers were absurd: 19 strikeouts in 16 innings across three starts with a 1.13 ERA.
He became the first pitcher in the modern era to have more wins than hits allowed through his first two starts. After three starts, he had as many wins as hits allowed.
That’s the kind of dominance you rarely see from veterans, let alone rookies.
Of course, reality was bound to catch up eventually. July started with a reality check against the Mets at Citi Field, where Misiorowski gave up a second-inning grand slam and couldn’t make it through four innings.
The flamethrowing righty handled it about as well as you’d expect from someone mature beyond his years.
“I threw good pitches, and they hit them, simple as that,” Misiorowski told reporters after the game.
He spoke with the kind of confidence that suggests this rough outing won’t derail what’s been a remarkable start to his career. That bounce-back mentality is exactly what the Brewers need if they’re going to make a run at the Cubs in the division race.
