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Sep 2, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Bubba Chandler (57) pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pirates' Bubba Chandler Facing Brewers Star Rookie

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 1:06 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-handed starting pitcher Bubba Chandler takes on another top young talent in his first MLB start vs. the Milwaukee Brewers.

Chandler takes on Brewers right-handed starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski in the series finale vs. the Brewers at PNC Park, with first pitch set for 1:35 p.m.

Misiorowski dominated in his MLB debut against the St. Louis Cardinals at home on June 12. He allowed four walks, but didn't give up a hit or any runs, while striking out five batters in five innings in the 6-0 win.

He then had a perfect game heading into the seventh inning vs. the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on June 20, before allowing a walk and then a two-run home run. He finished with six strikeouts in the 17-6 victory.

Misiorowski became the first starting pitcher that began their MLB career with 11 hitless innings since 1900 and the only pitcher since then to have more wins than hits allowed, two wins to one hit.

He also faced off against the Pirates and right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes in the series finale at American Family Field on June 25.

Misiorowski dominated the Pirates in this appearance, with eight strikeouts over five innings, allowing just two hits and two walks over 74 pitches in the 4-2 victory for the Brewers.

He had such a strong start, that he earned an spot on the National League roster for the All-Star Game.

Misiorowski missed time with a left tibia contusion, not playing the first two weeks of August, but returned back on Aug. 15.

He has struggled over his past four starts for the Brewers, with 14 earned runs allowed over 14.2 innings pitched for a 8.59 ERA. He has also given up three earned runs over each of those four starts.

Misiorowski has a 4-2 record in 11 MLB starts, a 4.50 ERA over 48.0 innings pitched, a 1.15 WHIP and a .192 opposing batting average.

Chandler will make his first MLB start, after his first three appearances with the Pirates have come out of the bullpen, since he earned his promotion from Triple-A Indianapolis on Aug. 22.

He threw four scoreless innings in the 9-0 win over the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park in his MLB debut on that same day, closing out the game for the save.

Chandler became the first Pirates pitcher to throw a four-inning save in his debut, the fourth MLB player to do so since save became a statistic in 1969 and the first pitcher ever in MLB history to do so scoreless in his debut.

He then threw four more scoreless innings in relief from the fourth to the seventh inning vs. the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Aug. 27, earning him a win in the eventual 2-1 victory.

Chandler became the first Pirates pitcher to earn a save and a win in their first two outings and was the first MLB pitcher to do so since Mickey Weston did it with the Baltimore Orioles in 1989.

His last outing came in the series opener vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park on Sept. 2, coming on in the third inning.

Chandler allowed his first runs of his MLB career, giving up a two-run home run to Shohei Ohtani and another home run to Andy Pages. He threw 65 pitches in four innings, finishing strongly, as the Pirates would go on and win 9-7.

He started 83 of his 89 appearances in the minors after the Pirates took him with the 72nd overall pick in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

Chandler also started for Indianapolis this season, with a 5-6 record over 24 starts, a 4.05 ERA over 100.0 innings pitched, 121 strikeouts to 53 walks, a .250 opposing batting average and a 1.48 WHIP.

MLB Pipeline rated Chandler as the best pitching prospect in baseball at the time of his promotion and the seventh best overall prospect.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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