Why Jacob Misiorowski's "Maddux" coming against the Phillies makes it that much sweeter

Milwaukee Brewers' 24-year-old ace Jacob Misiorowski turned in the most impressive start of his young career and one of the most impressive outings in franchise history last night.

After setting a new record for the fastest pitch thrown by a starting pitcher in the pitch tracking era by hitting 104.5 mph with his four-seam fastball in the first inning, Misiorowski went on to throw a complete game shutout with a career-high 15 strikeouts. Miz was able to accomplish the feat while throwing less than 100 pitches -- 95 to be exact -- which is colloquially referred to as a Maddux. The stat is named after Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame starter Greg Maddux, who threw 13 complete game shutouts with less than 100 pitches during his storied career.

The only blip on Miz's statsheet last night was a single from 2025 NL MVP runner-up Kyle Schwarber on a well-located slider at the bottom of the zone. Schwarber's hit led off the fourth inning, but two batters later, after striking out Trea Turner in the interim, Miz induced an inning-ending double-play off the bat of 2x MVP Bryce Harper. With no other baserunners throughout the game, Harper's double-play ensured that Miz faced the minimum in last night's start.

From the 15 strikeouts to the zero walks to the lone hit to the record-setting velocity to the 95 pitches, any way you look at Miz's performance last night, it's bound to end in disbelief. It was truly one of the greatest performances by a Brewers pitcher in the history of the franchise.

However, what made last night's dominant start even sweeter for Misiorowski and Brewers fans alike was the fact that it came against the Philadelphia Phillies, with whom Milwaukee's budding star has some underlying "beef."

Jacob Misiorowski's historic night couldn't have come against a better opponent

Not only will last night's start forever live in the history books, but it also happened to fall on the one-year anniversary of Misiorowski's MLB debut. Exactly one year ago, Miz burst onto the scene with five no-hit innings against the St. Louis Cardinals. His next four starts included a perfect game bid ending in the seventh inning of a start against the Minnesota Twins, an out-dueling of 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, and a showdown with Los Angeles Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw from which Miz and the Brewers also emerged victorious.

Misiorowski's incredible five-outing stretch at the beginning of his career earned him an unlikely All-Star nod, which was met with controversy around the league. Since no other player had ever reached the Midsummer Classic with just five games of big-league experience, those who thought they were deserving over Misiorowski were especially mad. No team took the news harder than the Phillies, who believed that southpaw Cristopher Sánchez deserved a spot in the All-Star Game over Miz.

According to a report from Matt Gelb of The Athletic that was published last July, when asked about Miz making the NL All-Star team, Turner, who was 0-3 with two strikeouts in last night's game, said, "What a joke. That’s f— terrible. I mean, that’s terrible, dude.” When asked if Misiorowski participating in the Midseason Classic "cheapens the All-Star honor," Turner replied, "Yeah, 100 percent. I mean, it’s not the All-Star Game in the sense that the best players go there, or people who have had the best season. It’s whoever sells the most tickets or has been put on social media the most. That’s essentially what it’s turned into.”

Former Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos, who is no longer with the team, or any team for that matter at the current moment, took it a step farther, saying the All-Star Game is, "turning into the Savannah Bananas,” because of Misiorowski's addition to the National League's roster.

To make matters worse, Sánchez was offered a spot in the All-Star Game prior to Misiorowski getting the call, but denied the offer because it was contingent on him pitching in the game itself -- the NL had so many injuries and opt-outs that they simply needed pitchers who were actually going to throw in the game. In that regard, Sánchez and the Phillies created the situation they were complaining about.

However, Miz and the Phillies' underlying beef doesn't stop there. In May of 2026, Miz put together one of the best months by a starting pitcher in MLB history. Unfortunately, Sánchez, of all people, posted an equally impressive month. While Player of the Month Awards might not be a player's top priority, it was frustrating for the Milwaukee faithful when Sánchez was named the NL Pitcher of the Month in May over Miz, despite Misiorowski outpacing the Phillies' southpaw in several key categories.

It's hard to argue against Sánchez, who didn't allow a single earned run in the month of May while Miz allowed one, winning the award, but regardless, it adds another chapter to the growing rivalry. The next chapter could be which of the two aces is named the NL's starting pitcher for the upcoming All-Star Game.

Given the comments from the Phillies' clubhouse last July and the fact that Miz has been neck-and-neck with Sánchez in several accolades races, the Brewers' ace mowing down Philadelphia's lineup last night was especially satisfying. Miz himself downplayed the situation after the game, saying, when asked about facing the Phillies specifically, "It's about the same as the Yankees, the Dodgers, you know any of those big-market teams, you always want to throw well against them." Meanwhile, Brewers' manager Pat Murphy wasn't aware of any "beef" between Miz and the Phillies, which is fitting for Milwaukee's skipper who tends not to care too much about awards and accolades.

To the Brewers faithful, however, and certainly Misiorowski to some extent, sticking it to the team that disrespected Milwaukee's rookie flame-thrower's All-Star nod last year added another element to last night's historic outing. The Phillies surely won't have much to say when Miz is inevitably named to the 2026 All-Star Game, which, coincidentally, will take place in Philadelphia.

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