Jacob Misiorowski didn’t just pitch on May 8 in Milwaukee. He made the whole game feel one-sided. The Brewers’ 24-year-old right-hander came in with a big arm, a big name, and a growing reputation for throwing some of the hardest fastballs in baseball. Against the Yankees, he turned that power all the way up.

It started in the first inning. Misiorowski worked a near-perfect frame against Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham, and Ben Rice, and he did it by throwing heat over and over again.

Misiorowski struck out Grisham and Rice on three pitches each, then kept Judge completely quiet with more 103-mph fire. He even came back in the second inning and threw two more pitches at 103.6 mph to Spencer Jones before getting another strikeout. By then, the outcome of the game already felt decided.

Pitching expert Rob Friedman posted on X, "Jacob Misiorowski with perhaps the most ABSURD first inning ever 😳. 10 Pitches at: 102, 103, 103, 103, 103, 103, 103, 103, 103 and 104 mph."

Misiorowski threw nine pitches at 103.0 mph or harder. He threw three pitches at 103.6 mph, marking the fastest speed any starting pitcher has hit since Statcast started tracking in 2008.

The only other pitcher ever to record more than nine such pitches in a single game is veteran reliever Aroldis Chapman, who did it four times. But it’s worth noting that Chapman did so in one-inning outings, not while tasked with navigating a lineup multiple times as a starter.

Most importantly, Misiorowski has been delivering outings like this all season. He already had a no-hit bid in Washington cut short by a right hamstring cramp, and he threw 43 pitches over 100 mph in that outing alone.

So when he came after the Yankees with the same force, fans began worrying about his endurance and long-term health.

Fans reacted to Misiorowski's outing with awe and anxiety

"This is going to be amazing until his elbow turns into soup," one fan said, while another added, "These guys are really fun to watch, and it’s insane what they can do, but what is the over/under on arm injuries popping up these days? I hate to see the trends."

According to a report from Gabe Lacques of USA Today in 2023, "Of the top 64 hardest throwers this season based on average fastball velocity calculated by Statcast, 30 – nearly half – have undergone reconstructive Tommy John surgery."

The ulnar collateral ligament, or UCL, has a physical breaking point. The ligament can snap before reaching the equivalent stress generated by a 100-mph fastball. So when a pitcher reaches 104 mph, he is approaching the absolute ceiling of human physiology.

One fan even said, "Everyone relax his arm will fall off in the next couple months and he will be terrible after that."

A prime example is Stephen Strasburg. He entered the league with similar heat and velocity, but his career was derailed by repeated arm and shoulder surgeries. Similarly, Matt Harvey’s “Dark Knight” era was cut short after his velocity-heavy approach contributed to thoracic outlet syndrome.

One fan added, "So, he'll get worn out by the 4-5th inning and come out. He won't go long, which I think is beneficial to keep those joint muscles worked, exercised and strong. 2 months later, his muscles and joints will be weak, he'll throw his elbow out and meet Tommy John."

On May 8, Misiorowski was pulled after six innings and 95 pitches. His average length per start in 2026 is 5.4 innings. So the concern is real, but Misiorowski appears to be managing his workload with proper planning.

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Written by

Md Saife Fida

Edited by

Sahil Prashar