Misiorowski Sets Opening Day Strikeout Record, Brewers' Pitchers Combine for 20 Ks

Jacob Misiorowski turned his first career Opening Day start into a strikeout clinic, and the Milwaukee Brewers' performance was just beginning.

Misiorowski racked up 11 strikeouts against the Chicago White Sox lineup, setting a new team Opening Day strikeout record. The four relievers who followed him pushed that number all the way to 20 strikeouts, tying the modern-era nine-inning game strikeout record (at least since 1900) alongside pitchers like Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood. In today's 14-2 rout at Brewers' American Family Field, the Brewers became the ninth team in the past 125 seasons to record 20 Ks in a nine-inning game.

“After the fourth inning, we looked and Miz already had 10 Ks,” said DL Hall, who struck out three batters in the eighth inning. “We thought, ‘Wow.’”

“I just heard about it,” said Brewers newcomer Jake Woodford, traded from the Rays on Wednesday and arriving Thursday. After being homered by Munetaka Murakami in the ninth inning, he struck out three consecutive batters to help the team reach 20 Ks. “That’s a cool way to start the new season.”

It all started with Misiorowski. The 23-year-old flamethrower, after being homered by White Sox second baseman Chase Meidroth on the first pitch, immediately struck out the next three batters. The Brewers took off from there; William Contreras’ bases-clearing double in the second inning helped the team take the lead, Sal Frelick and Jake Bauers homered consecutively, and the team scored double-digit runs in an Opening Day game for the first time since 1999.

Misiorowski delivered a dominant performance in his 15th career MLB start, allowing two hits and one run over five innings with three walks and 11 strikeouts, breaking the team Opening Day strikeout record (eight) set by Ben Sheets in 2002, which was later tied by Freddy Peralta in 2024 and 2025.

“Sometimes you have to take a punch before you can counter,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “Miz did a great job countering.”

At 23 years and 357 days old, Misiorowski became the youngest pitcher to record double-digit strikeouts on Opening Day since the Mariners’ teenage phenom Félix Hernández in 2007. Since 1900, only six pitchers have achieved this feat at a younger age, including Bob Feller in 1939 (20 years, 169 days), Gary Nolan in 1969 (20 years, 315 days), and Hernández in 2007 (20 years, 359 days).

The Brewers hope Misiorowski can develop into a pitcher like Sheets, Hernández, Feller, or Don Drysdale. Last season, his first five MLB starts dazzled, making him the earliest rookie ever invited to the All-Star Game. He struggled late in the season but regained his form as a bullpen ace in October’s playoffs. This spring, when the Brewers lost Quinn Priester and determined Brandon Woodruff needed more time to build up his pitch count, they named Misiorowski their third-youngest Opening Day starter in team history.

“The first Opening Day was crazy,” Misiorowski said. “So many things happening at once, a huge flag hanging in the outfield. That sight was cool. Emotions surged, needed to be processed slowly. Getting homered definitely sucked, but that ball was hit. I threw an inside high pitch, he caught it. Whatever.”

After finding his rhythm, he generated 25 swings and misses against the White Sox lineup, surpassing any of his MLB appearances last season. “It felt like floating,” Misiorowski said. “Couldn’t feel anything. Just pitched step by step, and the results came.”

This was the start of history. The Brewers’ previous strikeout record for any length game was 19 Ks in a 14-inning 6-5 loss to the Pirates in 2010.

“It’s so cool to be part of it,” Hall said. “If anyone had to guess which team’s pitching staff could do this, guessing us would definitely be right.”