Jacob Misiorowski Gained Confidence From Facing Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers

Milwaukee Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski is only five starts into his career, but has already put together some impressive performances.

The young right-hander has made a strong impression in a short time, highlighted by his inclusion on the National League team for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game. It was a polarizing decision from the commissioner’s office to say the least, but Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Clayton Kershaw were understanding of the decision.

It probably helps that they saw Misiorowski’s ability firsthand during their July 8 game against the Brewers, when the rookie shut down the Dodgers’ offense for the most part while setting a career high with 12 strikeouts.

As counterintuitive as it may seem, allowing a leadoff home run to Shohei Ohtani might have actually helped settle Misiorowski’s nerves.

“You give up a home run to Shohei, you’re kind of just like, ‘OK, there it is.’ Got it out of the way pretty quick, so you know you’re just throwing the ball,” Misiorowski recalled.

“I think it was one of those things that you just realize, ‘OK, let’s just go.’ I don’t think it would change anything. It was just outwork.”
 
Misiorowski’s performance against the Dodgers was especially admirable considering what happened in his previous outing against the New York Mets, in which he lasted only 3.2 innings while allowing five runs, two home runs and walking three.

Despite starting his MLB career with a 1.13 ERA over 16 innings, Misiorowski’s outing against the reigning World Series champions was the moment he realized he belongs in the Majors.

“Yeah, definitely. I think that’s one of those games that you look back on and you’re like, ‘OK, now we go. Now it starts,'” he said.

Pitching for the first time since the game against the Dodgers, Misiorowski pitched a scoreless eighth inning against the American League in the All-Star Game.

That appearance played a part in how the Brewers set their rotation for the second half, and thus Misiorowski did not pitch against the Dodgers.

Clayton Kershaw impressed by Jacob Misiorowski

When asked about the young righty the night before their matchup, Kershaw said he wasn’t much aware of Misiorowski other than being the pitcher who twisted his ankle while warming up between innings of a no-hitter.