Why he matters right now
Jacob Misiorowski leads the majors in strikeouts, ERA, WHIP and strikeout-minus-walk rate
Through 30 starts he is first in strikeouts, ERA, WHIP and strikeout-minus-walk rate — the statistical center of a Cy Young case.
This has been his headline for 5 straight days.
The case in 30 seconds
- 252 No. 1 in strikeouts, ERA, WHIP and strikeout-minus-walk rate on MLB's own leaderboards (the ERA, WHIP and strikeout-minus-walk rate against the qualified pool) — 252 strikeouts, 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 31.3% strikeout-minus-walk rate MLB season leaderboard (the league's own top-10 board of qualified players, not this site's roster)
- 100.6 mph Hardest-throwing starter in baseball, 1st of 146 starters with 10+ starts and 300+ four-seamers (n = 1,463 pitches) per-pitch Statcast store, starters-only population
- 76% of the season's 25 fastest pitches are his — 19 of them, topping out at 105.5 mph season fastest-pitch board, counted by player id
Starters with 10+ starts and 300+ four-seamers, 146 of them. Relievers are excluded on purpose: a short-burst arm and a 100-pitch starter are not the same population. Bars start at 97 mph, not at zero — the whole field fits inside a few miles an hour and a zero-based bar would show no difference at all.
The honest caveat
The open question is workload. He is at 175 innings over 30 starts; the same rate to the end of the season means roughly 175. Velocity and innings both have to hold, and neither is guaranteed — this page reports what the measurements say, not what a medical staff knows.
What to watch next
Next up: at San Diego Padres.
Every claim above, with its source (7)
- No. 1 in strikeouts, ERA, WHIP and strikeout-minus-walk rate on MLB's own leaderboards (the ERA, WHIP and strikeout-minus-walk rate against the qualified pool) — 252 strikeouts, 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 31.3% strikeout-minus-walk rate MLB season leaderboard (the league's own top-10 board of qualified players, not this site's roster)
- No. 1 in strikeouts on MLB's leaderboard MLB season leaderboard (the league's own top-10 board of qualified players, not this site's roster)
- No. 1 in ERA on MLB's qualified leaderboard MLB season leaderboard (the league's own top-10 board of qualified players, not this site's roster)
- No. 1 in WHIP on MLB's qualified leaderboard MLB season leaderboard (the league's own top-10 board of qualified players, not this site's roster)
- No. 1 in strikeout-minus-walk rate on MLB's qualified leaderboard MLB season leaderboard (the league's own top-10 board of qualified players, not this site's roster)
- Hardest-throwing starter in baseball, 1st of 146 starters with 10+ starts and 300+ four-seamers (n = 1,463 pitches) per-pitch Statcast store, starters-only population
- of the season's 25 fastest pitches are his — 19 of them, topping out at 105.5 mph season fastest-pitch board, counted by player id
Other cases this page considered and did not lead with: Jacob Misiorowski throws the hardest four-seamer of any starter in baseball — 1st of 146.
The evidence
Tracked on Live Chases
- 89 Fastest Pitch Legendary · STATCAST only one tracked 105.5 mph record 105.8 — Aroldis Chapman, 2010
- 61 Strikeouts Significant · MILESTONE No. 1 of 3strikeouts chases 252 record 383 — Nolan Ryan, 1973 252projected, against 300
The score is an editorial score, not a measurement on a common scale. The rank above is this player's position on his own category's board — the ordering the site stands behind. See all tracked chases →
What to watch next
Situational splits
| Split | IP | ERA | SO | WHIP | AVG against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs RHP | 75.2 | — | 89 | 1.03 | .209 |
| vs LHP | 99.0 | — | 163 | 0.63 | .114 |
| Home | 95.0 | 1.52 | 145 | 0.77 | .158 |
| Away | 79.2 | 2.15 | 107 | 0.84 | .157 |
| Day | 77.1 | 1.86 | 116 | 0.74 | .151 |
| Night | 97.1 | 1.76 | 136 | 0.85 | .162 |
2026 season, MLB Stats API. A split with no plate appearances is omitted rather than shown as zeroes.
Strikeout chase
| Chase | Current | Pace | Needed from here | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 K | 252 | 252 | done | ACHIEVED |
| 250 K | 252 | 252 | done | ACHIEVED |
| 300 K | 252 | 252 | 48 K · — per team game | IMPOSSIBLE |
| 350 K | 252 | 252 | 98 K · — per team game | IMPOSSIBLE |
| 383 K | 252 | 252 | 131 K · — per team game | IMPOSSIBLE |
ERA & WHIP finish lines
| Finish | Current | Required rest-of-season | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-2.00 ERA | 1.80 | — | ON PACE |
| Sub-1.75 ERA | 1.80 | — | IMPOSSIBLE |
| Sub-1.50 ERA | 1.80 | — | IMPOSSIBLE |
| Sub-1.00 WHIP | 0.80 | — | ON PACE |
| Sub-0.90 WHIP | 0.80 | — | ON PACE |
Recent game log
Derived nightly from the snapshot ledger — each row is the difference between consecutive days; multi-day rows are labeled.
| Date | Opp | Result | IP | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-01 (6d) | — | — | 5.1 | 5 |
| 2026-09-20 | Baltimore Orioles | W 3-0 | 3.0 | 4 |
| 2026-09-15 | Pittsburgh Pirates | W 5-1 | 5.0 | 7 |
| 2026-09-08 | Chicago Cubs | W 4-3 | 6.1 | 9 |
| 2026-09-01 | Chicago Cubs | W 9-4 | 4.0 | 5 |
| 2026-08-21 | Atlanta Braves | W 2-1 | 6.0 | 6 |
| 2026-08-15 | Los Angeles Dodgers | W 4-1 | 6.0 | 6 |
| 2026-08-09 | Minnesota Twins | W 4-3 | 6.0 | 9 |
| 2026-08-02 | Los Angeles Angels | L 0-3 | 7.0 | 10 |
| 2026-07-26 | Colorado Rockies | W 11-2 | 5.0 | 12 |
Recent highlights
Chase history
Stuff watch
Four-seamer velocity, start by start
Every start's average against his own trailing baseline of 101.1 ± 0.78 mph. Ringed dots sit more than one standard deviation under the baseline; last start 100.81 mph (2026-09-20).
No active signals — inside one standard deviation of his own baseline. A trend report, not a diagnosis.