Jacob Misiorowski Is Rewriting MLB’s Velocity Record Books as Brewers Ace Faces Off With Reds Phenom Chase Burns

Jacob Misiorowski is putting together one of the most dominant seasons a Major League starting pitcher has had in years, and Thursday afternoon he’s doing it on the same mound as another rookie phenom having a historic year of his own. The Milwaukee Brewers right-hander leads all of baseball in ERA (1.45), strikeouts (146) and WHIP (0.77) as he takes the ball against Cincinnati’s Chase Burns at American Family Field, with the first-place Brewers going for a four-game sweep of the Reds.

The 24-year-old Misiorowski has been the story of the National League all season, but the last few weeks have turned him into a national phenomenon. On June 26 against the Chicago Cubs, he threw a first-inning fastball to Pete Crow-Armstrong that was clocked at 105.5 mph — the fastest pitch ever recorded by a starting pitcher since MLB’s tracking era began in 2008. It broke his own record of 104.5 mph, set just two weeks earlier against the Philadelphia Phillies, which itself had broken a mark he set in late May against the Colorado Rockies. Misiorowski now owns 28 of the 30 fastest pitches ever thrown by a starter, and his 105.5 mph heater is tied for the third-fastest pitch thrown by any pitcher in recorded history, trailing only two Aroldis Chapman fastballs (105.8 mph in 2010 and 105.7 mph in 2016) and tying a 2024 pitch from Ben Joyce.

An All-Star Case Building by the Start

Misiorowski is 9-3 this season, and his June was arguably the best month any Brewers starter has had in franchise history — he went 3-1 with a 0.82 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP across five starts. That stretch has put him squarely in the conversation to start next month’s All-Star Game, alongside names like Shohei Ohtani and Philadelphia ace Cristopher Sanchez. His MLB-leading .144 batting average against is the lowest mark of any qualified starter in baseball, and hitters simply aren’t getting comfortable in the box against him, regardless of how many times they’ve seen his fastball.

What separates Misiorowski from a typical flamethrower is that the velocity isn’t a gimmick pitch he saves for one batter — he’s sustaining triple-digit readings deep into outings while missing bats at an elite rate. His strikeout total already ranks among the National League’s best, and it’s climbing by the start as opposing lineups struggle to simply make contact.

A Pitching Duel With Real Stakes

Thursday’s matchup against Burns is as good as regular-season pitching duels get. The Reds rookie right-hander enters at 9-1 with a 2.36 ERA and 112 strikeouts of his own, making this a rare head-to-head between two of the sport’s most talked-about young arms. Milwaukee, at 53-31 and running away with the NL Central, took Wednesday’s series opener 4-2 and is looking to complete the sweep behind its ace. Cincinnati, at 39-46 and sitting fifth in the division, is trying to avoid the second consecutive series loss and lean on Burns to keep the Reds competitive in a game oddsmakers have installed the Brewers as sizable favorites to win.

Misiorowski’s rise has coincided with a broader shift in how the Brewers have built their rotation, leaning into hard-throwing, high-strikeout arms rather than pure innings-eaters. It’s paid off in a big way, with Milwaukee holding the best record in the National League and Misiorowski himself emerging as the most electric arm in the sport’s best rotation.

Bettors have taken notice of the buzz around both pitchers all week, and moneyline and total markets for Thursday’s game have reflected just how sharp both arms have looked in recent outings. Fans looking to get in on the action can find current lines and same-game markets through the DraftKings promo code or the FanDuel promo code, both of which are running active offers tied to Thursday’s MLB slate. For bettors who prefer alternative formats, the Kalshi promo code and Polymarket promo code also carry markets on the game’s outcome and total runs.

What Comes Next

If Misiorowski keeps this pace through the first half, he’ll be a lock for his first career All-Star selection and a legitimate name in early NL Cy Young conversations, unusual territory for a pitcher in just his second full big league season. The Brewers, meanwhile, are positioning themselves as one of the National League’s most dangerous teams heading into the second half, with a rotation anchored by a pitcher who is quite literally rewriting the record books one start at a time.

For fans wanting to track live betting markets and props tied to Misiorowski’s next few starts, sportsbooks are already pricing strikeout props well above his season average given his recent stretch, and the BetMGM promo code and Caesars Sportsbook promo code both offer new-user deals ahead of the weekend MLB schedule.