At the heart of Milwaukee's recent surge lies a simple yet radical approach: let the four‑seam fastball do the heavy lifting. Both right‑hander Jacob Misiorowski and left‑hander Kyle Harrison have built their repertoires around a single pitch that not only arrives at elite velocities but also moves in ways that confound hitters.
A New Era of Fastball Dominance
Pat Murphy, the Brewers' pitching coordinator, has watched the game evolve from a reliance on mixed arsenals to a strategy where pitchers flaunt every offering on the very first batter. In 2026, only 30.4% of all pitches thrown league‑wide are four‑seamers, the lowest rate recorded in the tracking era, yet the Brewers buck the trend by throwing fastballs 65.2% of the time, well above the 54.5% league average.
Misiorowski leads the staff, deploying his four‑seamer on 62.3% of his pitches — the highest rate among starters with at least 50 innings this season. Harrison follows closely, using the pitch 58.9% of the time and ranking second in the same metric. Their dominance is reflected in ERA figures that sit at 1.83 and 1.57 respectively, accompanied by FIP scores of 1.89 and 2.46 and DRA‑ values that place them among the most valuable arms in the National League.
Unconventional Mechanics Meet Unmatched Velocity
What sets their fastballs apart is a blend of low release points, high perceived velocity and extreme vertical break. Misiorowski’s release height of 5.25 feet and a vertical approach angle of –3.66° produce 15.9 inches of induced break, while Harrison’s –3.88° angle yields 15.1 inches. Both pitchers sit near the top of the league in whiff rates — 45.2% for Misiorowski and 30.8% for Harrison — while hitters manage only a .268 slugging percentage against Misiorowski’s offering and .318 against Harrison’s.
The raw velocity is equally striking. Misiorowski’s fastball averages 99.8 mph with a perceived speed of 101.9 mph, and Harrison’s version regularly tops 100 mph. Their ability to locate the pitch to the glove‑side corner has rendered them virtually untouchable in May, while a simpler approach of elevating the ball and attacking the middle of the zone has kept opposing hitters off balance. Even as they lean heavily on the fastball, both arms possess enough secondary weapons — cutters, sliders, curveballs and changeups — to keep hitters honest.
What the Numbers Reveal
The impact extends beyond the stat sheet. Veteran hitters such as Christian Yelich and Andrew Vaughn have publicly praised the electric quality of Misiorowski’s fastball, while Harrison’s delivery draws comparisons to former Brewers reliever Josh Hader. As the duo continues to refine their craft, the Brewers' pitching staff is poised to reshape how modern baseball thinks about the fastball’s role.