I have become an anxious mother, and I have adopted Jacob Misiorowski as my son. I don’t know how this happened, and I would like it to stop, because it’s taking a toll on me. Life used to be so simple. I used to watch his outings with a detached amazement. Back when I had a normal relationship to his pitching prowess, Misiorowski had already thrown 79 of the 100 highest-velocity pitches since tracking began. As of Sunday night, he holds all 100 spots. Now he is my son, and let me be the first to say, it is really difficult being a parent to a child who you have never met and who is also older than you. I am so proud of and so worried for my boy.
I spent last night in a cold sweat as I fought off the urge to join Facebook, just so I could tell everyone how wonderful and successful my beautiful son is. They must know how impressive his outing was, I whispered to myself as I clawed at the drawer where my husband (wait, when did I get a husband?) had locked away my laptop. They must know that he broke his own record for most 100-mph pitches in a game. He threw 66 fastballs, and every single one of them was more than 100 miles per hour. I frantically searched for the key. They have to know that only three were hit hard and into fair territory, and that Jakey struck out 12 batters, including seven in a row to begin the game. I took a hammer to the wood. But I can’t let it slip that he was pitching against the Rockies. Susan from knitting club would have a field day with that. As if HER kids have 185 strikeouts and a 1.58 ERA!
Speaking about the history he had once again made, Mis said, “I had no idea. I’m just throwing to Gary.” My humble boy! Someone has to brag about him if he won’t. Maybe I should send Susan that video.
However, despite my pride, I am also overwhelmed by the fear I feel for my dear son every time he achieves new feats of pitching velocity. He threw 83 pitches Sunday night, which is only one pitch below the league average of pitches per games started this season. But my son is not like other starters. He is special. He throws much faster and harder than all of the other kids, and I am worried about what this means for his future. How long can he go at this pace?
The thing about stats is that they exist in a context. Precise pitch tracking did not exist until 2008, so we can never truly know how Misiorowski measures up to the pitching legends of yore. But he’s also playing a different game than they were. It’s not just that he has attained some sort of superhuman strength, but that changes in the sport allow him to chase these feats.
Through the 1970s, the complete games pitched per season hovered between the high 800s and low 1000s. In the '80s and '90s, the numbers began to decline, and today the complete game has become something of a rarity. In 2025, there were 29 complete games total. Mis was responsible for one of these games, but only because he threw 95 pitches. As starting pitchers' outings get shorter, freeing them to exert more effort on high-velocity pitches, the strain on their arms likely increases. For Brewers fans, the scary part is when Misiorowski leaves the game and the bullpen has to be trusted to finish it out. But I am a parent now, and everything has changed. None of them will know the stress I feel worrying for the arm of my dear sweet son Jacob.
