During an in-game television interview, Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio mentioned hearing concerns from people about pitcher Jacob Misiorowski\u2019s velocity.<\/p>\n
Besides his own private box, Attanasio and his family have front row seats near the Milwaukee dugout, exposing him to what the fans are saying in the lower field section.<\/p>\n
Attanasio couldn\u2019t help but chuckle in detailing the anxiety due to Misiorowski reaching \u201conly\u201d 99 miles per hour on some pitches Thursday at American Family Field.<\/p>\n
Such is the expectation level for the Miz, who has raised the bar with his electric right arm that any fastball under 100 is now questioned for not being fast enough.<\/p>\n
Or his standard.<\/p>\n
Not one to disappoint, Misiorowski did set a franchise record for Opening Day by striking out 11 during his five innings Thursday in a 14-2 win against the Chicago White Sox.<\/p>\n
Misiorowski\u2019s top speed was 101.1 mph.<\/p>\n
During his postgame press conference, the 23-year-old Misiorowski, the third youngest Milwaukee pitcher to start an Opening Day, was, in fact, asked about his velo.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust early in the season, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything to it,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the end (his final batter), I was still throwing 100. It\u2019s still there. It\u2019s not gone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not trying to throw 104 right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it, March?\u201d<\/p>\n
It was last October that Miz came out of the Brewers bullpen in Game 2 of the National League Division Series and unleashed lightning bolts against the Chicago Cubs.<\/p>\n
In his first-ever postseason appearance, spanning three innings, Misiorowski had 31 pitches of 100 mph or faster, including a couple that hit 104.3 and 104.2.<\/p>\n
In the pitch-tracking era, only San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller had thrown a pitch (104.5) faster in the postseason.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Misiorowski appeared on the Pat McAfee television show and was the subject of a generous offer from McAfee, a former National Football League punter.<\/p>\n
If Misiorowski was able to hit 104 on Thursday, McAfee would donate $100,000 to the charity of his choice\u00a0\u2014 a number McAfee later increased to $500,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cTop pitch scientists say a baseball can go 106 or something like that,\u201d Misiorowski told McAfee. \u201cI think I\u2019m good where I\u2019m at \u2026 104, point 2 or 3.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added the Miz, \u201cIt\u2019s a crazy amount of college guys throwing 100 right now. It\u2019s insane. I remember when I was in junior college (Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri)\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cMe hitting high 90s, it was crazy (then).\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski reacts after striking out Chicago White Sox batter Andrew Benintendi during the first inning of an Opening Day baseball game Thursday in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n
KAYLA WOLF \/ AP PHOTO<\/p>\n
Contreras will challenge calls<\/p>\n
During his McAfee appearance, Misiorowski admitted that his Brewers catcher William Contreras\u00a0\u2014 Miz calls him Bill\u00a0\u2014 would handle the ABS Challenge System.<\/p>\n
This is new to Major League Baseball this season. The batter or pitcher or, in this case, Bill, the catcher, can appeal a ball or strike to the home plate umpire.<\/p>\n
The call comes under 3D tracking technology. It defines the strike zone based on the batter\u2019s individual height. The system is powered by T-Mobile.<\/p>\n
Teams start with two challenges per game. You keep the challenge if you\u2019re successful. Reviews are instant and results are played out on the centerfield scoreboard.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s pretty efficient. And fan-friendly. Sort of like Wimbledon\u2019s in-or-out system. It was given a trial run in the minor leagues first to iron out any potential flaws.<\/p>\n
There is an irony for the Miz.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, not a chance in the world I could ever see the (strike) zone and take a guess,\u201d he told McAfee. \u201cI\u2019m falling off the mound and my head is moving all over\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Milwaukee Brewers’ William Contreras catches a pitch during a spring training workout on Feb. 18 in Phoenix.<\/p>\n
MORRY GASH \/ AP PHOTO<\/p>\n
Misiorowski noted that he has been working on a change-up to add to his arsenal of fastball, curveball and slider. But he didn\u2019t sound real comfortable with the pitch yet.<\/p>\n
He really didn\u2019t need a fourth pitch against the White Sox.<\/p>\n
Even though leadoff hitter Chase Meidroth homered off Misiorowski\u00a0\u2014 \u201cGiving up the home run sucks,\u201d he said\u00a0\u2014 the Miz was in total command, allowing just one other hit.<\/p>\n
Rationalized Milwaukee skipper Pat Murphy, \u201cSometimes you\u2019ve got to get punched in the face to respond, and I thought Miz did a great job responding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Misiorowski walked three in what was only his 15th career Major League start. He was the seventh youngest with double-digit strikeouts on Opening Day since 1900.<\/p>\n
The impressive list includes Bob Feller in 1939, Gary Nolan in 1969, Felix Hernandez in 2007, Gary Bell in 1960, Don Drysdale in 1960 and Herb Score in 1957.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t look at it as historic in terms of how he threw the ball,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cI think he did some really good things and he matured, which we were hoping for.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s the thing to get excited about.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat it means for the future\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cHe made some big pitches at big times\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Misiorowski has been fast-tracked to stardom. He will turn 24 on April 3.<\/p>\n
Speaking to his condensed timeline, Brewers television analyst Tim Dillard likes his upside.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe guy has already been in big moments, he\u2019s always had success. He\u2019s had some ups and downs. What it comes down to\u2026\u201d he said prior to Thursday\u2019s game, \u201ccan he channel that into longevity? Can he channel that into consistency instead of that roller coaster ride that maybe he was on a little bit last year?\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the opening pitch, Murphy said this, \u201cHe\u2019s got to control his emotions. I think he understands that. He\u2019s been through a lot in his career. You\u2019ll see a good version of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was spot on.<\/p>\n
Pat Murphy talks about the ‘who’<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy watches during batting practice ahead of Game 1 of the National League Championship Series last fall in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n
BRYNN ANDERSON \/ AP PHOTO<\/p>\n
Murphy was quizzed on his own team and what he likes most about the Brewers and their odds of winning a fourth straight division championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just trust them,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of guys who get it. We always talk about the who in the room. I think we have the right who.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people have said we\u2019re not going to be very good.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I believe and I trust in the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hours later, his belief and trust in his players was never stronger. So was his appreciation for the support at American Family Field.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese fans are fabulous,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cThey\u2019ve taken this team and they\u2019ve recognized who those guys are in the (locker) room.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s been a fun thing to see the fans recognize our brand of baseball that they created \u2026 and we\u2019re playing without one of the best offensive players we have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outfielder Jackson Chourio was placed on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left hand before Thursday\u2019s game. He\u2019s expected to miss two to four weeks.<\/p>\n
But it did not take away from a successful opener. Or the promise of more to come. Before long, the Miz will be up to 100 consistently, maybe then 104, and everyone can relax.<\/p>\n
Except for McAfee if the offer stands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"During an in-game television interview, Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio mentioned hearing concerns from people about pitcher Jacob…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":648110,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2401],"tags":[5,136,843,59,4280,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-648109","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-milwaukee-brewers","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-brewers","10":"tag-milwaukee","11":"tag-milwaukee-brewers","12":"tag-milwaukeebrewers","13":"tag-mlb"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116305225475846421","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=648109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/648110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=648109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=648109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=648109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}