103.5 Miles an Hour: Misiorowski Opens the World Series by Breaking Physics and Chapman's Record
LD3 Productions Daily Newsdesk: First Edition, October 24, 2026
Desk: Sports & Athletics, Game Coverage & Stats
By Dakota Jones
MILWAUKEE — Jacob Misiorowski did not ease into the World Series. He opened it with a 103.5 mph fastball to Yandy Díaz.
And the pitch missed the strike zone. That's right, folks. The fastest ball ever thrown on baseball's biggest stage was, officially, ball one. History was made and the umpire said "strike one" to nobody.
That was the first pitch of Game 1 on Friday night. It was also the fastest pitch recorded in World Series history, topping the 103.2 mph mark Aroldis Chapman set for the Chicago Cubs in 2016. Baseball has a gift for making the extraordinary look mildly inconvenient.
The Milwaukee Brewers went on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 3-2, at American Family Field. Misiorowski earned the win after allowing one run on four hits over five innings, with three strikeouts. Trevor Megill closed it out for the save after a tense ninth inning that involved a video review and a potential game-ending double play.
The headline number is startling. The full story is better: Misiorowski made history with his first pitch, then did the less glamorous work of getting outs and handing his team a lead.
GAME 1, AT A GLANCE
Result Key details Final Brewers 3, Rays 2 Record pitch Jacob Misiorowski’s 103.5 mph four-seam fastball to Yandy Díaz Previous World Series mark 103.2 mph, Aroldis Chapman, 2016 Misiorowski’s line Five innings, one run, four hits, three strikeouts Milwaukee’s scoring Christian Yelich RBI triple and William Contreras RBI single in the first; Jackson Chourio RBI single in the seventh Save Trevor Megill
Source: MLB.com and The Associated Press. Graphics summary by LD3 Productions.
One pitch. A new World Series record.
To understand why the opening pitch mattered, start with the setting. The pitch-tracking era began in 2008, giving the record a consistent modern measurement standard. Before Misiorowski’s first pitch, only three pitchers had reached 102 mph in the World Series during that era, according to MLB.com: Chapman, Brusdar Graterol and Kelvin Herrera.
Then Misiorowski delivered 103.5.
The speed was captured on a four-seam fastball, a pitch that relies on velocity and backspin to challenge a hitter. The number does not mean the ball literally defied physics. It means the baseball traveled at a speed no previous World Series pitch had registered in the tracked era. Physics remains undefeated. The record book, however, had a change of address.
The pitch sailed above the strike zone. Díaz did not swing. That distinction matters: the record was about velocity, not a strikeout or a perfect location. In one instant, the World Series got its fastest recorded pitch. The hitter got ball one. Both things can be true.
The previous record belonged to Chapman, whose 103.2 mph pitch came in Game 2 of the 2016 World Series. Chapman’s mark stood for a decade. Misiorowski passed it by three-tenths of a mile per hour on the opening pitch of the series. If you were still settling into your seat, the record had already happened.
Milwaukee made the record count on the scoreboard
A fastball record is an excellent headline. It does not, by itself, put a run on the board. The Brewers handled that part in the bottom of the first.
Christian Yelich drove in a run with an RBI triple. William Contreras followed with an RBI single. Milwaukee took a 2-0 lead, giving its rookie starter something valuable: room to work.
The early scoring also kept the story from becoming a one-pitch novelty. Misiorowski’s velocity turned heads, but the Brewers still needed to build a lead and defend it. The World Series is not a radar-gun exhibition, despite the very persuasive opening argument.
The Rays began to threaten in the top of the first. Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson reached with singles. Misiorowski got Junior Caminero to hit into an inning-ending 5-4 double play, escaping the traffic without allowing a run. That sequence offered an immediate reminder of what pitching at this level demands: the radar reading is impressive, but the next hitter still gets his turn.
The game stayed close. In the fourth, Caminero hit a 112.7 mph double off Misiorowski, a sharply struck ball that carried into the outfield. It followed a 101.5 mph fastball over the middle of the plate. Liam Hicks brought home Tampa Bay’s first run with a groundout, trimming the Brewers’ lead to 2-1.
That was the only run Misiorowski allowed. It was not a night of uninterrupted dominance. It was a night of answering pressure, getting through five innings and leaving Milwaukee in front.
The record is loud. The five innings are the job.
Misiorowski finished with five innings, one run allowed, four hits, one walk and three strikeouts. He threw 78 pitches, according to MLB.com, and generated 17 swings and misses.
Those numbers add useful context to the 103.5 mph headline. Misiorowski was not mowing down every hitter. MLB.com noted that his strikeout pace was far below the dominance he showed during the regular season, when he led the majors with 252 strikeouts and posted a 1.80 ERA. That is a comparison, not a criticism. The postseason changes the setting, and opposing hitters do not make it easy to preserve a regular-season rhythm.
A pitcher’s line is more than strikeouts. Five innings of one-run ball kept the Brewers in control, even as Tampa Bay put the ball in play and made him work. Misiorowski did not need to reproduce a regular-season strikeout reel. He needed to get outs, limit damage and give Milwaukee’s bullpen a lead.
That is an important distinction for anyone watching the series. Velocity is easy to notice. Pitching is harder to reduce to one number. A 103.5 mph fastball tells you how quickly a pitch traveled. It does not, on its own, tell you whether the pitcher located it, how the batter responded, or what happened over the next five innings.
Misiorowski’s own summary of the night was direct: “Yeah, not perfect, but good enough to get a win,” he said, according to MLB.com. That is not a quote built for a fireworks display. It is a useful description of a postseason start.
Manager Pat Murphy made a similar point, saying that the version of Misiorowski who seemed to strike out two batters an inning during the regular season was not a realistic standard for every start. In October, the point is not to make every inning look effortless. It is to get the outs in front of you.
The rookie’s night also included a broader velocity milestone. He threw 40 pitches at 100 mph or harder, the most in a single World Series game in the pitch-tracking era, MLB.com reported. MLB also noted that every postseason outing featuring at least 30 triple-digit pitches had come from Misiorowski. Those records help explain why the opener became a story beyond the final score. The record-breaking first pitch was the most dramatic example of a larger pattern.
Milwaukee added one run. It turned out to be a big one.
The Brewers’ first-inning production gave them the lead. Jackson Chourio’s RBI single in the seventh added insurance, making it 3-1.
“Insurance” is a generous word for a one-run cushion in the ninth. Still, Chourio’s hit mattered. The Brewers went into the final inning with a two-run lead rather than one, and in a 3-2 game, every run gets noticed.
The Rays made the finish uncomfortable. Tampa Bay scored in the ninth and put pressure on Megill and the Milwaukee defense. A video review overturned a call that would have completed a game-ending double play. The inning continued, the tying run remained in play, and a quiet trip toward the final out became another test for the Brewers.
Megill stayed in the game and finished the save. The final margin was one run.
There is a familiar temptation to treat a reviewed call as the whole game. It was a key moment, certainly. But the final inning came after Milwaukee’s first-inning scoring, Misiorowski’s five innings, Chourio’s seventh-inning hit and the bullpen’s work. A review can change the shape of an at-bat or inning. It does not erase the rest of the game.
For the Brewers, the result was their first World Series win since 1982, as MLB.com noted. The record pitch will own the highlight reel. The 3-2 result is what goes in the series ledger.
What the 103.5 mph reading does, and does not, tell you
If you are following the series, the most useful way to read the velocity record is as a starting point, not a complete scouting report.
Velocity measures how fast the pitch travels. Here, the figure was 103.5 mph. Pitch location describes where it crossed relative to the strike zone; this pitch was high and called a ball. Results tell you what happened in the at-bat and over the game. Those are related details, but they are not interchangeable.
A record fastball can still be taken. A hard-hit ball can still become an out. And a pitcher can have a night that is not statistically perfect and still put his team in position to win. Game 1 supplied examples of all three.
Misiorowski’s opening pitch created immediate history. Later, he gave up hits and faced traffic. Caminero’s fourth-inning double showed how quickly an elite hitter can answer a fastball. Milwaukee’s defense and offense then helped keep the lead intact. The game was not a contest between an astonishing radar reading and a helpless opponent. It was a close World Series game, with exceptional talent on both sides.
That is why the five-inning line deserves a place beside the record. The milestone got the attention. The outing made it useful to Milwaukee.
For viewers in Wisconsin, the moment landed in the Brewers’ home park. For Rays fans watching from Tampa Bay and beyond, the game offered a familiar October lesson: the margin in a tight series can be small, and the next inning arrives regardless of what happened in the last one. Across baseball, the opening pitch supplied a new benchmark for future World Series velocity comparisons.
If you value clear game coverage, the standard should be the same as it is for any major story: keep the confirmed facts separate from the interpretation. MLB.com and AP both reported the 3-2 result and the record-setting pitch. The pitch was 103.5 mph. Chapman’s previous record was 103.2. Misiorowski allowed one run in five innings. The rest (the sense of drama, the weight of a first pitch, the meaning of a record) is context built around those facts.
That is the approach LD3 Productions aims to bring to coverage across its newsroom: clear sourcing, useful context and a focus on what the audience needs to know. You can find more about the company’s distribution platforms and watch options online.
What to watch as the series continues
Game 1 does not settle the question of whether Misiorowski’s velocity will define the series. It establishes that he can make a record-setting pitch and still have to navigate a full game. The next starts and innings will provide their own evidence.
For viewers, a few details are worth tracking:
- Location alongside velocity: The first pitch was historically fast, but it was high and taken for a ball. Speed and command are different parts of the story.
- How hitters respond after seeing the fastball: Tampa Bay made contact and extended innings. The matchup is not only about how hard Misiorowski throws; it is about how hitters adjust.
- The Brewers’ run support: Milwaukee scored twice in the first and once in the seventh. In a one-run game, those production windows mattered.
- Bullpen execution: Megill had to finish a tense ninth after a review changed the situation. A lead is only secure when the final out is recorded.
- The game’s defining details: A record, a hard-hit double, a timely RBI and a close review can all matter. One does not cancel out the others.
None of that requires pretending Game 1 predicted the rest of the series. It simply gives you a practical lens for watching what happens next.
FAQ
Was Misiorowski’s first pitch a strike?
No. MLB.com reported that the 103.5 mph four-seam fastball to Yandy Díaz sailed above the strike zone and was taken for a ball.
What record did he break?
It was the fastest pitch recorded in World Series history during the pitch-tracking era, which began in 2008. The pitch surpassed Aroldis Chapman’s 103.2 mph mark from the 2016 World Series.
How did Misiorowski pitch after the record-setting opening?
He worked five innings, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out three. MLB.com reported that he threw 78 pitches.
Who drove in Milwaukee’s runs?
Christian Yelich hit an RBI triple and William Contreras added an RBI single in the first inning. Jackson Chourio drove in the Brewers’ third run with a single in the seventh.
How did the game end?
Trevor Megill recorded the save. A ninth-inning video review overturned a call that would have resulted in a game-ending double play, extending the tense finish before Milwaukee secured the 3-2 win.
Final thoughts
Jacob Misiorowski's first pitch of the 2026 World Series did what a first pitch almost never does: it made history before anyone had time to settle in. At 103.5 mph, it broke Chapman's decade-old record. It was high, it was taken for a ball, and it was only the beginning.
A decade of waiting and the record fell by three-tenths of a mile per hour on a pitch that missed the zone. Somewhere, Aroldis Chapman is checking the radar gun again. That's how records work. You don't get to retire them politely. You just wait for the next 22-year-old with a triple-digit arm and a complete disregard for your place in the history books. The Brewers then had to play the rest of the game. Yelich and Contreras put them ahead. Misiorowski delivered five innings of one-run ball. Chourio added a run in the seventh. Megill handled the ninth, with help from a review that kept the finish alive.
The cleanest takeaway is also the most useful one: the record made the opening memorable; the complete team effort made it a win. Milwaukee takes Game 1, 3-2. The fastest pitch in World Series history is now in the book. The series, naturally, is still being played.
Images in this article are AI-generated illustrations, not photographs of the actual game.