Where Jacob Misiorowski's Opening Day performance ranks among the best of his career

Jacob Misiorowski's first Opening Day start was one for the record books. The Milwaukee Brewers' flamethrowing right-hander silenced the doubters with an incredible 11-strikeout performance that earned him the record for the most strikeouts in an Opening Day start in franchise history. Not only that, but Miz kick-started what ended up becoming a 20-strikeout performance from the Brewers' pitching staff, which ties an MLB record for the most punchouts in a single nine-inning game.

Under the bright lights of Opening Day, Misiorowski shined. But for the 23-year-old, rising to the occasion is nothing new. While some might fairly characterize the start of Miz's MLB career as inconsistent, no one can deny that when it's mattered most, Misiorowski's electric right arm has gotten the job done.

Though Misiorowski has not yet been in the major leagues for a full season, he's already racking up plenty of memorable outings. From a spotless debut, to a domination of one of the best offenses ever assembled, to becoming a postseason hero, Miz already has quite the resume. Let's take a look at where yesterday's start ranks among the best of Misiorowski's young career.

Ranking the best outings of Jacob Misiorowski's young career after his impressive showing on Opening Day

Honorable mention: @ Pittsburgh Pirates (9/7/2025)

With an All-Star Game appearance after five MLB starts and an Opening Day start in his first full season in the major leagues, Misiorowski has had one of the most impressive starts to a career in recent Brewers history. However, many are quick to forget that the talented right-hander faced some significant struggles during the final two months of the 2025 regular season, to the point that Miz lost his rotation spot ahead of the playoffs.

In the middle of those struggles, however, was the longest outing of Misiorowski's young career -- a seven-inning, 108-pitch gem against the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 7. Miz struck out eight, allowed just one earned run on three hits, and proved amid growing skepticism that his electric arsenal could lead to a great deal of success at the major league level.

5) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (6/12/2025) -- Misiorowski's MLB debut

Calls for Misiorowski's promotion to MLB were growing louder as the flamethrower continued to mow down Triple-A competition during the early parts of the 2025 season. In early June, the call finally came. Miz faced extremely high expectations and, therefore, an incredible amount of pressure when he made his debut, which was only increased by the fact that the Brewers were playing their division rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, when he first appeared on an MLB mound.

However, the pressure mattered not to the 23-year-old Misiorowski, who tossed five no-hit innings against the Red Birds en route to a 6-0 Brewers victory. To some extent, it wasn't the sharpest outing for Miz, who walked four and struck out five, but the fact that the Cardinals didn't collect a single hit against him made it clear that the young flamethrower was going to be just fine at the big league level with his electric arsenal of pitches.

4) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (10/16/2025) -- NLCS Game 3

When fans think about Misiorowski's incredible postseason introduction in 2025, they generally choose to think about his impressive two outings against the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS. Understandably, fans don't want to think too hard about the Brewers being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, but included in that disheartening series was one of Miz's best outings.

Though Miz didn't start Game 3 of the NLCS, he entered the game with one out in the first inning after Aaron Ashby struggled as the opener. Misiorowski went on to toss five innings for the Crew and struck out nine batters against the formidable Dodgers' lineup. Those nine strikeouts set a new franchise record for most punchouts by a rookie in a single postseason game. Miz ultimately allowed two runs, one earned, on just three hits and gave the Brewers a good chance to win, but the offense didn't give him the run support he needed, and Misiorowski unfairly earned a loss in the contest.

3) vs. Chicago White Sox (3/26/2026) -- Opening Day 2026

As impressive as Misiorowski's performance was yesterday afternoon, breaking the Brewers' Opening Day strikeout record and inducing a career-high 25 whiffs, context is important when ranking the best outings of the young flamethrower's career so far. Working in favor of yesterday's outing was the fact that it was Opening Day, and the pressure to perform was sky-high. However, working against it is the fact that Miz was facing the White Sox, who have been historically bad in recent years. Though they certainly have some intriguing young players, their lineup is simply not at the level of others that Misiorowski has dominated in his career.

That said, the competition should not discredit the fact that Miz was exceptional yesterday afternoon. 11 strikeouts in five innings is an impressive accomplishment by itself, but the fact that Miz was able to lock in after surrendering a leadoff home run to Chase Meidroth makes it even more impressive of an outing. The White Sox simply could not touch Miz's fastball, and the result was a historic performance from the Brewers' Opening Day starter.

2) vs. Chicago Cubs (10/11/2025) -- NLDS Game 5

As previously stated, context matters a great deal when ranking the best performances of Misiorowski's young career. The Brewers' winner-takes-all matchup against their heated division rivals, the Chicago Cubs, in the NLDS last year was one of the biggest games in franchise history. Given the fact that Milwaukee had been unsuccessful in winning a playoff series in five straight postseason appearances, and that the Cubs stood in the way of them making it six straight, the pressure on Miz's performance on October 11 of last year was immense.

However, as he's done time and time again, Misiorowski rose to the occasion. He didn't strike out 11 batters or toss 108 pitches, but he gave the Brewers exactly what they needed to earn one of the most memorable victories in franchise history. Miz tossed four innings in the middle of the game, struck out three batters, and, similar to his Opening Day start, locked in after allowing a home run to the first batter he faced. After throwing Freddy Peralta in Game 4, the Brewers put all of their eggs in Misiorowski's basket, and the young right-hander came through when it mattered most.

1) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (7/8/2025)

Okay, so I just said context matters a great deal in these rankings, but Misiorowski's best performance is a random game in July? Well, it wasn't just a random game in July; it was Miz's first matchup against the Dodgers, who have assembled one of the best offenses in the history of baseball. Their lineup begins with three MVPs: Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman. Though several of the Dodgers' other stars were out with injuries when this game occurred, the 23-year-old rookie was not only facing three MVPs in Los Angeles' lineup, but he was also opposing one on the mound, Clayton Kershaw.

As is somewhat becoming a trend for Misiorowski, he allowed a home run to the first batter he faced, Ohtani, and then proceeded to throw the best game of his MLB career. He covered six innings, didn't allow a run after Ohtani's leadoff homer, and struck out 12 batters -- which remains a career high for Misiorowski to this day. And he did all of that against the formidable Dodgers' offense. Not only that, but the win was the third of 11 straight that propelled the Brewers into first place in the NL Central. Given the competition, and the fact that Miz set a career high with 12 Ks, his memorable July start against the Dodgers last year still holds the crown for the best of his career.