Tropicana Field’s mound is turning into an unexpected storyline in World Series Game 5, as a pitcher’s stride length became the unexpected villain. After Cam Booser’s troubling slip in Game 4, Jacob Misiorowski became the latest pitcher to struggle with the surface. He lost his footing just eight pitches into the bottom of the first inning while delivering a fastball to Junior Caminero.
The Milwaukee Brewers’ young arm had kept the Tampa Bay Rays scoreless as Game 5 entered the sixth. But the recurring issue has raised fresh questions about the mound’s condition. The Brewers chased their first title; the Rays fought to survive. But the mound had other plans.
“Jacob Misiorowski has the grounds crew working on the mound again in the 2nd inning,” Fox Sports: MLB shared via X.
Just after eight pitches in the game, Misiorowski’s left landing cleat broke through the topsoil. It tore up heavy chunks of loose clay. Misiorowski’s stride is unusually long; his front foot lands farther forward than most pitchers. He generates more extension toward home plate than almost any other pitcher in baseball. Because Misiorowski’s stride is so long, his front foot landed far forward in an area of the mound that hadn’t been packed tightly or given enough “wear and tear,” causing the deep sub-dirt to give way.
Repeated delays followed. The game was repeatedly paused for maintenance. Misiorowski called a timeout during the first inning to throw loose clay off the mound. Later, while he warmed up for the second and third innings, four grounds crew members had to come out, rake, water, and aggressively tamp the landing hole to make it safe.
Cam Booser faced the same in Game 4. With two outs in the top of the 11th, Booser issued a walk to the Brewers’ Brice Turang. But as he began struggling with his footing and consistency on the soft soil, the game had to be paused. The umpires were also left disgusted, commenting “frickin big blob of crap” on the scene.
The grounds crew was again forced to rush onto the field mid-inning to pack down the landing hole, flat out the dislodged chunks, and the clay so Booser could safely finish the frame.
Well, this is not the first time the mound at the Trop has drawn scrutiny. In 2021, the Boston Globe detailed an investigation in which Boston Red Sox players noticed that data from different pitchers showed significantly deeper extension metrics when pitching at Tropicana Field compared to any other stadium.
Still, despite the hiccups, the Brewers are maintaining a 4-0 lead as Game 5 enters the sixth. Misiorowski is doing exactly what was expected of him.
The Brewers’ gamble with Misiorowski seems to be working
“Miz would have had to get himself ready,” Pat Murphy defended his decision to not let Misiorowski close Game 4. “Now, these guys are starters, and they have to get themselves ready. It’s not like just pick up the ball from sitting in your chair there and throw. He would have had to get himself ready in a short amount of time, adjust to the mound, all that kind of stuff, get his body ready, and come in.”
As the Brewers blew up the 12th inning in Game 4, fans and analysts wondered what stopped Murphy from using his best arm. Per Murphy, it was more important to keep Misiorowski fresh ahead of his Game 5 start. Misiorowski has so far pitched 5.0 innings without surrendering a run. So, Murphy’s gamble seems to be working.
In stark contrast, the Rays chose to counter with Drew Rasmussen, throwing him on just three days of rest. Rasmussen limited damage by conceding only one run over four innings. But the Brewers’ offense gradually cracked open the game against the Rays’ overextended bullpen.
RBI contributions from Cooper Pratt, David Hamilton, and a clutch William Contreras base knock have pushed Milwaukee to a 4-0 lead as they attempt to lock down their first World Series title in franchise history.