Everything you need to know about Jacob Misiorowski and Paul Skenes’ highly anticipated matchup

Baseball fans are in for a rare treat this afternoon at American Family Field — a showcase of elite young arms. The Milwaukee Brewers are sending their flame-throwing phenom Jacob Misiorowski to the mound against the Pittsburgh Pirates’ already-established ace, Paul Skenes, in what is shaping up to be a must-watch matinee.

This is baseball’s version of a heavyweight bout — raw, unhittable power versus dominant, and continuously refined command.

Milwaukee’s top pitching prospect has lived up to every bit of the hype — and then some. Through his first two big league starts, Misiorowski is 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 11 strikeouts across 11 innings, and even more notably, just one hit allowed. That lone blemish? A two-run homer that ended his no-hit bid in the seventh inning during his second career start.

Armed with a triple-digit fastball and a devastating slider, Misiorowski looks less like a prospect and more like a rising star ready to be a mainstay at the major league level.

Jacob Misiorowski’s MLB rise faces major test in showdown with Pirates’ Paul Skenes

While Misiorowski’s debut has turned heads, Paul Skenes has already taken a seat at the table of MLB’s elite. His win-loss record (4-6) doesn’t tell anything close to the full story. With a 1.85 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 106 strikeouts in 102 innings, Skenes is dominating in every way a pitcher can dominate.

Pitching matchups like this don’t come around often — especially between two pitchers under 25. You’ve got Misiorowski, whose raw stuff and fast ascension has Brewers fans dreaming of dominance, facing off against Skenes, who’s already delivering ace-level output and was the starting pitcher in last year's All-Star Game, en route to a Rookie of the Year Award winning season.

This game is a test for Misiorowski — but also a measuring stick. And it could very well be a preview of the National League’s future pitching hierarchy.

What makes the game even juicier? It's a rubber match between the two teams, with a series win on the line. Add in a sunny Wednesday afternoon at Am Fam Field, and what you have is baseball theater at its finest.

The game is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CST, and if you’ve been looking for a reason to tune into a midweek matinee, Jacob Misiorowski vs. Paul Skenes is it. Cancel your meetings, sneak a stream — do whatever you need to do.