Jacob Misiorowski is off to as good a start as any rookie starting pitcher has ever had. The first five starts of his career were (somewhat controversially) good enough for him to make the NL All-Star team, and his sixth start was as dominant as the others. Well, it was, until it wasn't.
Misiorowski was pulled after just 3.2 innings of work. He wasn't hurt, his pitch count wasn't high,and he hadn't allowed a run to score. He had seven strikeouts already, proving to be as dominant as ever, but Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy pulled him anyway, causing an uproar.
Jacob Misiorowski was inexplicably pulled just 64 pitches into an incredible outing.
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) July 23, 2025
3.2 IP
3 H
0 ER
1 BB
7 K pic.twitter.com/AYfPw6uRLW
As annoying as it might be to see perhaps the most electric starter in the game get pulled early in a start, the Brewers have a plan. They must stick with said plan, no matter how badly the entire MLB world wants to see Misiorowski dominate.
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Brewers must ignore public backlash and continue with conservative and controversial Jacob Misiorowski plan
The reason why Misiorowski was pulled is quite simple. It all comes down to innings. Misiorowski is now less than five innings shy of matching last year's innings total, which also happens to be the high-water mark of his professional career. In all likelihood, he'll match or pass that total the next time he takes the ball.
A two-out walk puts runners at first and second in the fourth and Jacob Misiorowski's second half debut is cut short at 64 pitches in 3 2/3.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) July 23, 2025
He has thrown 92 2/3 innings this season compared to 97 1/3 all of last season between Double-A and Triple-A.
The Brewers have a delicate balance to keep in mind. On one hand, they're trying to win the World Series this season. On the other hand, Misiorowski is a fireballing 23-year-old who looks like their ace of the future, if he isn't already their best starter. They want Misiorowski pitching not only in this year's postseason, but in several other playoff runs to come.
The best way for both of these outcomes to happen is for Milwaukee to limit Misiorowski's innings some. He's going to surpass that career-high, possibly the next time he takes the mound, but the Brewers don't want him to completely blow past it. Allowing him to do that would seemingly add great injury risk. It will never be a popular decision, especially with such a popular starting pitcher, but if this is what keeps him healthy and on the field, who cares?
At the end of the day, there isn't much the Brewers can do here that'd make them look good in the public eye. They can let MIsiorowski throw 100 pitches every time out right now, but by doing so, they'd likely shut him down in September or October, impacting his availability in their playoff run. They could shut Misiorowski down now, keeping him fresh for the stretch run and postseason, but then MLB fans can't see him dominate now.
What the Brewers are doing feels like the ideal middle ground. He's pitching, but was pulled after just 3.2 innings, allowing him to stay consistent with his routine but also limiting his innings so he can be available down the stretch without completely blowing past his previous career-high in innings. All MLB fans can hope now is that Misiorowski will be healthy and pitching in late September and in October with Milwaukee's season on the line.