Jacob Misiorowski, starting for the Milwaukee Brewers, uncorked a 104.5 mph fastball to Phillies leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber at the top of the first inning on Friday — an official speed that sets the record for the fastest pitch ever thrown by a starting pitcher.
The pitch came on a 2-2 count, caught the lower outside corner of the strike zone and drew a check swing from Schwarber, who managed to get a piece of the pitch. Catcher William Contreras snagged and held the ball. The broadcast scorebug flashed 105 mph, but the pitch was officially recorded at 104.5 mph.
The sequence against Schwarber underlined how unusually hard Misiorowski was throwing: all five pitches the leadoff hitter saw that at-bat were north of 103 mph, and the third pitch of the plate appearance was a called strike that registered 104 mph.
Friday’s performance, in a Brewers game hosted against the Philadelphia Phillies, immediately puts a new benchmark on the velocity map for starting pitchers. A 104.5 mph reading from a starter in the first inning is notable for being both measured in a live-game context and officially recognized as a record for someone in the rotation.
That distinction matters because the record being discussed is specifically for starting pitchers; it does not rewrite the single-hardest-pitch list across all pitchers in MLB history. Aroldis Chapman still holds the overall major-league single-pitch marks — a 105.8 mph fastball in 2010 with the Cincinnati Reds and a 105.7 mph pitch in 2016 while with the Chicago Cubs — leaving Misiorowski’s number as the new high-water mark among starters but short of Chapman’s top readings.
The contrast between what the broadcast displayed and the official measurement — a 105 mph scorebug versus an official 104.5 mph — is a reminder that live displays and the statkeepers’ final readings can diverge by small margins, but the official figure is the one that counts for record purposes. In this case, that official figure is what grants Misiorowski the starting-pitcher record.
FilmoGaz covered an earlier Misiorowski velocity milestone in this series; see Brewers Game Today: Misiorowski’s 103.7 mph pitch sets tracking-era record — Friday’s 104.5 mph offering advances that thread: it’s not an isolated velocity spike but a formally measured top speed in a competitive setting.
The immediate unanswered question is clear and consequential: can Misiorowski — or any starting pitcher — push beyond this mark and challenge Chapman’s overall MLB record? The game facts establish a new standard for starters, but they do not confirm when Misiorowski will next take the mound or whether he will produce another pitch of comparable or greater velocity. That gap is where the next headlines will come from.
