MILWAUKEE -- Jacob Misiorowski needed just one pitch to make World Series history.
The Brewers’ flamethrowing ace opened Game 1 of the World Series against the Rays on Friday night with a 103.5 mph four-seam fastball to Yandy Díaz, immediately establishing a new standard for velocity on baseball’s biggest stage.
The pitch sailed well above the strike zone. But the message was unmistakable.
Misiorowski brought his heat to Game 1 of the Fall Classic -- a 3-2 victory for the Brewers.
The 103.5 mph offering was the fastest pitch thrown in World Series history since pitch tracking began in 2008, surpassing the previous record of 103.2 mph set by Aroldis Chapman for the Cubs in Game 2 of the 2016 Fall Classic.
“He’s been really good,” manager Pat Murphy said to FOX during the game. “Just gotta give [catcher] William [Contreras] a ton of credit because William can jockey him through -- he trusts William, and that relationship has paid off in the first three innings.”
And Misiorowski didn’t exactly ease into his first World Series start.
Of his 13 pitches in the opening inning, 11 were four-seam fastballs. Ten of those registered above 101 mph, including five that topped 102 mph. Only one of his four-seamers dipped below triple digits, clocking in at a relatively modest 99.8 mph.
The Rays managed two singles, one from Jonathan Aranda and another from Chandler Simpson, but Misiorowski escaped unscathed when Junior Caminero lined into an inning-ending 5-4 double play.
It was a scoreless first inning, and another entry in an increasingly remarkable collection of velocity records for the 24-year-old.
Before Friday, only 13 pitches had reached 102 mph in World Series play during the pitch-tracking era. Ten belonged to Chapman, with Brusdar Graterol accounting for two and Kelvin Herrera one.
Of course, rewriting the radar-gun record books has become something of a routine for Misiorowski.
He averaged 100.6 mph with his four-seam fastball during a dominant regular season in which he posted a 1.80 ERA and led the Majors with 252 strikeouts.
His first pitch of the postseason, a 104.8 mph heater against the Padres in Game 1 of the NLDS, was the fastest tracked postseason pitch ever. He went on to throw 52 pitches at 100 mph or harder that afternoon, the most by any pitcher in a single postseason game.
Misiorowski didn’t quite reach that 104.8 mph mark Friday, but he hardly needed to. His first pitch remained his fastest of the night, though he touched 103.2 mph against Ben Williamson in the third inning and hit 103 mph against Díaz in the fifth.
By the time Misiorowski’s night was finished, he had thrown 38 pitches at 100 mph or harder, the most in a World Series game since pitch tracking began in 2008.
More importantly for Milwaukee, Misiorowski delivered five strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits and one walk while striking out three. He threw 56 of his 78 pitches for strikes, generating seven swings and misses before handing a 2-1 lead to Abner Uribe in the sixth.
Misiorowski earned his first win of the postseason after starting Game 1 of all three of Milwaukee’s playoff series.
Now, on the biggest stage of them all, Misiorowski has another record to his name.
And he needed all of one pitch to claim it.