Unexpected Jacob Misiorowski development in World Series Game 1 may change everything for Brewers

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Jacob Misiorowski was not dominant in his World Series Game 1 start on Friday night. He still found a way to dance around trouble and keep the Tampa Bay Rays in check through five innings. Everyone knows Misiorowski throws hard and he gets a lot of strikeouts, but the Brewers right-hander recorded just three punchouts in the contest. Nevertheless, The Miz allowed just one earned run in a winning effort.

The expected National League Cy Young winner admitted he did not have a “perfect” outing after the win.

“Not perfect, good enough to get a win,” Misiorowski told Ken Rosenthal in reference to his start on the FOX broadcast after the game.

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The Rays don’t strike out all that often. In fact, Tampa Bay struck out less than any other team in baseball during the regular season. As talented as Misiorowski is, even he struggled to consistently get strikeouts on Friday. His fastball velocity has been up and down in the postseason (for his standards), but he still kept the Rays in check.

Young flame-throwing pitchers are sometimes unable to make necessary adjustments when their strikeout pitch isn’t working. It isn’t surprising to see hurlers in such situations completely implode — especially in a pressure-packed postseason matchup. Misiorowski, 24, maintained his composure on the mound in Game 1 of the World Series, however.

If Misiorowski needs to start another game — which will happen unless the Brewers sweep the Rays — his outlook and approach will change everything. He can find legitimate success on the mound without completely shutting down opponents.

How Jacob Misiorowski performed well without being dominant

The Miz did a tremendous job of mixing in his other offerings around his fastball. He threw 78 total pitches in his five innings of work, 48 of which were heaters. He generated 25 swings and five whiffs on the pitch. His other pitches produced only two combined total whiffs. However, his other offerings forced hitters to be off-balance which led to an inability to consistently square up pitches.

He threw 17 cutters, seven sliders and six curveballs. His cutter was especially effective, as he recorded two of the three strikeouts on the pitch. He had three called strikes on the cutter.

The cutter tunnels well off the fastball. A hitter may see the cutter off the corner and take it thinking it’s going to miss the strike zone. However, the glove-side run forces the pitch back into the zone, leading to a strike and a frustrated hitter. When the pitch is on the inside part of the plate to a left-hander, it can leave the batter stuck between a swing and holding back — which is exactly what occurred during a Victor Mesa Jr. at-bat on Friday.

Video via Rob Friedman: