Jacob Misiorowski Outduels Chris Sale, Earns Hall-of-Famer Praise

On August 21, 2026, the Milwaukee Brewers faced the Atlanta Braves at American Family Field. Rookie right-hander Jacob Misiorowski threw six shutout innings to secure his 13th win, while veteran Chris Sale allowed two runs over six innings. The matchup featured two leading Cy Young Award candidates, and the game ended 2–1 in favor of Milwaukee.

Sports Illustrated

Both pitchers entered the game atop their respective divisions. Misiorowski, a 24-year-old in his first full season as a starter, had compiled a 13–5 record, a 1.68 ERA, and 216 strikeouts, leading the majors in both categories. Sale, the 2024 NL Cy Young winner, held a 12–9 record with a 2.20 ERA and had not allowed more than three runs in 20 consecutive starts, the longest such streak in MLB.

ESPN

• Misiorowski’s outing: 96 pitches (56 four-seam fastballs, 23 sliders, 14 cutters, 3 curves). He reached a top velocity of 103.1 mph on a single pitch and hit 100 mph on 32 deliveries.

ESPN

• Fastball usage: ESPN reported Misiorowski threw his four-seam fastball on 64 % of pitches that day, while SI noted his typical fastball share is 64 % but highlighted a jump to ?40 % usage of sliders and cutters combined—a 60 % increase over his norm.

ESPN

• Sale’s performance: Six innings, two runs, six strikeouts.

ESPN

Braves manager Walt Weiss praised the overall quality of pitching and defense, calling it “high-level stuff.” Brewers catcher William Contreras noted Misiorowski’s effective use of sliders to left-handed hitters when his fastball lacked its usual aggression.

ESPN

• “It seems like he's in a league of his own this year,” — Chris Sale

Sports Illustrated

• “It's awesome to hear it from a guy like Sale, such a great guy, definitely a guy I looked up to -- and still do,” — Jacob Misiorowski

ESPN

• “Just one of those days where it was just a down day,” — Jacob Misiorowski

ESPN

• “Pitching and defense in that game are as good as you're going to see -- really high-level stuff,” — Walt Weiss, Braves manager

ESPN

• “I think we've got to change his name tag to 'Air Lara,'” — Jacob Misiorowski

ESPN

Sources differ on the extent of Misiorowski’s fastball usage during the game. ESPN’s pitch-type breakdown shows a 64 % fastball rate, whereas SI highlights a ?40 % combined slider-cutter usage, describing it as a 60 % increase from his typical 13 % cutter and 11 % slider rates. Neither source provides a definitive season-average fastball percentage beyond the stated norms, leaving the precise shift in pitch mix for this outing partially unresolved.

ESPN