The second game between the Dodgers and Brewers saw a performance reminiscent of Hideo Nomo’s dominance, this time from Brewers’ rookie sensation Jacob Misiorowski. Much like Nomo’s memorable 16-strikeout game against the Pirates in 1995, which the Dodgers themselves once celebrated, Misiorowski’s outing on Tuesday was a nightmare for them. The 23-year-old made the Dodgers’ star-studded lineup look utterly helpless, leading the Brewers to a 3-1 victory.

Misiorowski’s achievement stole the spotlight from Dodgers veteran Clayton Kershaw. And interestingly, Kershaw himself might have provided the rookie with some extra motivation before the game. “Is that the guy with the ankle, the twisted-the-ankle-on-the-mound guy?” Kershaw wondered who Misiorowski was before the game.

Well, after notching his 3,000th career strikeout in his last outing, Kershaw has been juggling the media buzz that comes with such a huge milestone. And, he was so tied up that he hadn’t had much time to look into the guy he would be playing against. Misiorowski, a hard-throwing rising star, is already turning heads as one of the most exciting young arms in the league. And he introduced himself against the Dodgers in style!

“I mean, all the respect in the world to face Kershaw, and the 3,000 K’s. It’s awesome to see a guy like that and match up against him. I saw something online that he didn’t know who I was, so I hope that he knows me now. It’s kind of cool,” Misiorowski said after the game.

So, Misiorowski not only matched Kershaw but outdueled him. Notably, in just his fifth big league start, the youngster struck out a career-best 12 batters over six innings while giving up just one run. He also struck out Shohei Ohtani in a third-inning showdown.

While his blazing fastball, which hit 101.6 mph, grabbed attention, it was Misiorowski’s off-speed stuff that truly stole the show. Out of those 12 strikeouts, only three came via the fastball. And the rest? Seven with the curve, and one each with the slider and changeup.

Moreover, Misiorowski racked up 21 whiffs in total, crushing his previous best of 13 and setting a new season high for any Brewers pitcher. Call it a coincidence or not, the last time a pitcher had 12 SOs against the Dodgers in a game was in 2023, and the man was Shohei Ohtani himself, with the Angels. This time, he was one of the victims of the steamroller called Jacob Misiorowski.

Jacob Misiorowski got the ultimate acknowledgement

Misiorowski has been downright dominant in his first five starts in the big leagues. Outside of one rough outing against the Mets, where he gave up five runs and took his first career loss, he’s been nearly untouchable. Altogether, he has allowed just eight runs while racking up 33 strikeouts over 25 2/3 innings until now!

While his prior performances might not have been enough to get an acknowledgment from Kershaw, the legend finally took note after the Dodgers got bulldozed. “Yeah, I know him now, I mean, that was super impressive. Yeah, that was unbelievable. He’s really special. I mean, everything, obviously the velocity, but he’s got four pitches,” Kershaw said after the game.

What could be better for a rookie in his debut season than outdueling a veteran with 3000 Ks and getting acknowledged? Yes, it is too early to place Misiorowski in the same league as Kershaw, but right now, he’s pitching better. And his career start in MLB stacks up with some of the best we’ve ever seen. If he keeps this momentum going, who knows? He might end up being a thorn in the flesh of the Dodgers for years to come.

We saw such a dominant rookie debut with Paul Skenes two years back. Now Misiorowski is replicating the same. Sky is the limit, that’s all one can say.