Jacob Misiorowski delivered a historic performance on the opening night of the 122nd World Series, throwing the fastest recorded pitch in the history of the championship as the Milwaukee Brewers edged the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2.
The 24-year-old right-hander became the youngest starting pitcher since 1997 to win a World Series opener, restricting the Rays to just a single run across five innings at American Family Field. During the outing, Misiorowski fired a fastball clocked at 103.5 mph, eclipsing the previous World Series record of 103.2 mph set by Aroldis Chapman of the Chicago Cubs in 2016, since pitch speeds began being tracked in 2008.
“It was amazing – just to have the city behind me, it means the world, we couldn’t ask for anything better,” Misiorowski said after the game.
A sell-out crowd of 43,250 fans packed the stadium—surpassing its 41,900 seated capacity through standing-room-only tickets—for only the second World Series appearance in franchise history. The Brewers are seeking their first-ever title in a matchup where neither contending team has previously won a championship, a rarity in more than a century of play. Milwaukee’s previous Fall Classic appearance came in 1982, when they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Designated hitter Christian Yelich also fueled the Brewers’ attack, scoring one run and driving in another to help build a 3-1 lead. Tampa Bay mounted a late push in the final inning, adding a run and placing a runner on third base before Milwaukee managed to close out the contest and secure the game-one victory in the best-of-seven series.
“It feels great. The guys settled in right away and did a great job,” Yelich said. “We’ve still got a ways to go but nice to get that first one.”
To reach the Fall Classic, the Brewers swept the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 to claim the National League title, while the Rays secured the American League pennant with a 4-2 series victory over the Cleveland Guardians, earning their third-ever World Series berth following previous appearances in 2008 against the Philadelphia Phillies and 2020 against the Dodgers.
Despite the opening defeat, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash found encouragement in how his squad pressured the Brewers down the stretch.
“We came up a little bit short, but there’s some benefit maybe from a loss,” Cash said.
The series remains in Milwaukee for the second game on Saturday before shifting to Florida for three consecutive games, followed by a return to Wisconsin for the final two contests if necessary.
