Misiorowski Battles Dodgers in NLCS Opener for Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski endured a difficult outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series opener on Sunday night, allowing one run and five hits while battling through four-plus innings at the start of the postseason matchup.

According to The Associated Press, Misiorowski reached the fifth inning after throwing 94 pitches, with the Dodgers fouling off 21 of them before Mookie Betts reached on a one-out walk.

The 24-year-old right-hander recorded five strikeouts and three walks in his second postseason start, according to The Associated Press. He was supported by three inning-ending double plays, including a Kiké Hernández grounder with the bases loaded in the second inning.

According to The Associated Press, Misiorowski threw 44 pitches at 100 mph or faster and reached 104 mph on his first pitch to Freddie Freeman in the opening inning.

The Dodgers challenged his fastball by swinging at 27 of his 62 four-seam fastballs, according to The Associated Press. Los Angeles fouled off 16 of those pitches and missed five.

Misiorowski entered the postseason after a standout regular season, going 16-5 with a major league-low 1.80 ERA in 30 starts, according to The Associated Press.

The Brewers pitcher also led the majors with 252 strikeouts across 174 2/3 innings while averaging 100.6 mph with his four-seam fastball, The Associated Press reported.

In his previous playoff appearance, Misiorowski threw four innings of two-run ball in Milwaukee's 3-2 win over San Diego in Game 1 of the NL Division Series on Oct. 3, according to The Associated Press.

DL Hall replaced Misiorowski after the outing and ended a Dodgers threat by getting Freddie Freeman to ground into a double play, according to The Associated Press. The crowd of 42,617 watched the Brewers escape the inning.