Misiorowski Sets World Series Speed Record on His First Pitch

Record pitch opens the series

Milwaukee Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski made history on Friday night with the very first pitch of the World Series. The 24 year old right hander threw a 103.5 mph fastball to Tampa Bay Rays hitter Yandy Díaz. The stadium video board displayed 103.4 mph, but Statcast officially clocked the pitch at 103.5 mph.

That throw broke the previous World Series record of 103.2 mph set by Aroldis Chapman of the Chicago Cubs in 2016. Misiorowski also passed the record for a starting pitcher in the series. Noah Syndergaard of the New York Mets held that mark with a 101.1 mph throw back in 2015.

Unmatched velocity all year

Misiorowski made his big league debut in June 2025 and has thrown relentless heat ever since. He threw 1,115 pitches at 100 mph or higher this season. That broke the previous record of 673 held by Jordan Hicks since 2018.

His fastest pitch of the year was 105.5 mph to Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs on June 27. That fell just short of the regular season record of 105.8 mph thrown by Chapman in 2010. During the Division Series and League Championship Series, Misiorowski hit 100 mph or more on 96 of his 182 pitches. That included a 104.8 mph pitch to Fernando Tatis Jr. on Oct. 3.

Escaping the first inning

Even with the high speed pitch to start the game, Misiorowski had to work through some early trouble. He gave up two hits in the opening inning. He managed to bounce back quickly, leaving both runners stranded to keep Tampa Bay off the scoreboard.

What it means for the next game

Tampa Bay Rays at Milwaukee Brewers (MLB, Sun, 25 Oct): Milwaukee Brewers win 62%, Tampa Bay Rays win 38%; projected score Milwaukee Brewers 5, Tampa Bay Rays 3. Our safest pick: Rays +3.5.

Milwaukee Brewers at Tampa Bay Rays (MLB, Tue, 27 Oct): Tampa Bay Rays win 49%, Milwaukee Brewers win 51%; projected score Tampa Bay Rays 4, Milwaukee Brewers 4. Our safest pick: Brewers +2.5.