Milwaukee Brewers right-handed pitcher Jacob Misiorowski acknowledged Thursday that he will likely miss out on pitching in this year’s All-Star Game, even if he earns a roster spot on the National League squad.
The reason comes down to scheduling. Misiorowski is set to take the mound on July 12 against the Pittsburgh Pirates in what will be Milwaukee’s final game before the All-Star break. Because that start falls so close to the July 14 All-Star Game in Philadelphia, he would not be eligible to pitch in it.
After serving as the losing pitcher in Thursday’s 7-2 defeat to the Cincinnati Reds, Misiorowski opened up about his frustration with the situation.
“I get it,” Misiorowski said. “I get we’re not looking for right now. We’re looking for September, October. It sucks — obviously I want to throw in a game like that — but so be it.”
The hard-throwing 24-year-old has put together one of the most impressive pitching seasons in baseball this year. He carries a 9-4 record with a 1.47 ERA over 17 starts and leads the entire major leagues with 156 strikeouts in just 104 innings pitched. In late June, one of his pitches was clocked at 105.5 mph, making him one of the most talked-about arms in the sport.
Misiorowski is no stranger to the All-Star stage. Just one year ago, he was selected to pitch for the National League despite having made only five big-league starts at the time. That selection raised some eyebrows around the league, but he went on to throw a scoreless inning in the game.
“It makes it a little easier,” Misiorowski said of having that experience under his belt. “It makes it a little cooler. You get to be one of the guys, the veterans you were there with last year who kind of got to be in the background and watch it, so it’s fun.”
In Thursday’s loss to Cincinnati, Misiorowski struck out 10 batters over five innings. He surrendered five runs — four of which were unearned — to match a career-worst total, while giving up five hits and walking no one.
He also allowed two home runs in the game, tying a season-worst mark he first set on April 14 when he gave up two long balls to the Toronto Blue Jays in a no-decision outing.
The performance continued a rough recent stretch for Misiorowski, who has now dropped two of his last three starts after previously reeling off seven consecutive victories.
