A record on the very first delivery
Jacob Misiorowski wasted no time rewriting the World Series record book. The Milwaukee Brewers right-hander's opening pitch of Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night was a 103.5 mph fastball to Yandy Diaz, taken for a ball above the strike zone. The stadium board showed 103.4 mph, while MLB's Statcast system registered 103.5. That edged the previous Series mark of 103.2 mph, set by Aroldis Chapman of the Chicago Cubs in the ninth inning of Game 2 in 2016 on a pitch that Cleveland's Coco Crisp grounded to second.[S1][S3]
The 24-year-old kept the approach simple in a scoreless first inning. His first ten pitches to Tampa Bay were all fastballs, two of which became singles, and he threw heat on 11 of his 13 offerings in the frame. Ten of those reached at least 100 mph, and he averaged 101.9 mph. By the end of the night he had reached triple digits with 38 pitches, well beyond the previous Series high of 24 by Chapman in Game 5 of 2016, and far past the six managed by a starting pitcher, Tampa Bay's Tyler Glasnow, in the 2020 opener.[S1][S2]
The gap to the old standard for starters was striking. Since tracking began in 2008, the hardest pitch by a Series starter had been Noah Syndergaard's 101.1 mph delivery to Kansas City's Ben Zobrist in the first inning of Game 3 in 2015, also a ball. Misiorowski cleared that by more than two miles per hour on his very first attempt.[S1][S3]
A season of unprecedented heat
The record is the product of a remarkable year. Misiorowski threw 1,115 pitches at 100 mph or faster in 2026, obliterating the previous high of 673 set by Jordan Hicks of St. Louis in 2018. His hardest offering of the season, 105.5 mph to the Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong on June 27, fell just short of Chapman's regular-season record of 105.8 mph for Cincinnati against San Diego on Sept. 24, 2010. In the Division Series and League Championship Series he hit 100 mph on 96 of 182 pitches, topping out at 104.8 mph on the first pitch of the NLDS opener on Oct. 3, a strike to San Diego's Fernando Tatis Jr. That surpassed the 104.5 mph postseason mark set by Padres reliever Mason Miller last year on a called third strike to the Cubs' Carson Kelly.[S1][S4]
His regular season established him as the Brewers' ace. Misiorowski went 16-5 with a 1.80 ERA across 30 starts and led the league with 252 strikeouts, a performance that makes him the strong favorite for the National League Cy Young Award. A year earlier, in 2025, he had appeared in only 15 major league games with a 4.36 ERA after debuting in June, earning an All-Star selection before fading late. This October he has started the opening game of the NLDS, the NLCS and now the World Series.[S3][S4]
The game itself and a roster surprise
Misiorowski's outing lasted five innings, during which he gave up one run and four hits, struck out three and departed with a 2-1 lead. Tampa Bay scored in the fourth: Jonathan Aranda walked, advanced to third on Junior Caminero's double over center fielder Garrett Mitchell and scored on Liam Hicks' grounder to first baseman Jake Bauers. Misiorowski generated only seven swings and misses, five of them on fastballs, and 30 of his pitches were clocked at 101 mph or above.[S2]
Before the game, Milwaukee made an unexpected roster move by adding veteran pitcher Brandon Woodruff, who had not appeared since July. He had been scheduled for season-ending surgery in August but recovered faster than expected and completed his rehabilitation in time to be included. Woodruff, a two-time All-Star who has spent his whole career with the Brewers since debuting in 2017, said his priority was helping the team win rather than any sentimental consideration. Manager Pat Murphy said Woodruff could be used either in relief or as a starter and expressed confidence in his readiness.[S3]
