In a dominant display of pitching and offensive firepower, the Milwaukee Brewers routed the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. The game was highlighted by Jacob Misiorowski's near-perfect outing and Christian Yelich's record-breaking RBI performance.
Jacob Misiorowski, in only his second major league start, was simply unhittable for six innings. The 6-foot-7 right-hander carried a perfect game into the seventh inning, showcasing a blazing fastball that topped out at 102.1 mph and a deceptive slider and changeup in the mid-90s. Misiorowski struck out six Twins hitters, leaving them bewildered at the plate. He threw 29 pitches at 100 mph or higher. After Willi Castro saw four straight pitches of at least 100.8 mph, he twisted and fell while striking out against a 95.5 mph slider in the first inning.
Misiorowski's bid for perfection ended when he walked Byron Buxton to lead off the seventh. Matt Wallner followed with a two-run homer into the flower bed above the right field wall, ending Misiorowski's night. Despite losing the perfect game and no-hitter, Misiorowski received a standing ovation from the crowd, which included a strong contingent of Brewers fans. He exited the game with the Brewers leading 8-2. Misiorowski (2-0) threw 86 pitches, 60 for strikes, in his stellar outing. Before Friday night, Misiorowski had made his major league debut on June 12 against St. Louis, where he threw five no-hit innings before leaving the game with cramping.
While Misiorowski was shutting down the Twins' offense, Christian Yelich was providing plenty of run support. The Brewers' left fielder had a career night, driving in a franchise-record eight runs. Yelich had bases-clearing doubles in the seventh and eighth innings and RBI singles in the sixth and ninth. According to OptaSTATS, Yelich became the first player since RBIs became an official stat in 1920 to drive in at least eight runs without hitting a home run.
The Brewers' offense exploded for 16 runs in the final four innings, turning a close game into a rout. The Brewers scored one run in the fourth without the benefit of a hit. Joe Ryan (7-3) pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs. Milwaukee's offense was relentless, pounding out hits and taking advantage of opportunities.
The Twins, on the other hand, struggled mightily. They have now lost 11 of their last 14 games. After Misiorowski left the game, the Brewers continued to pile on the runs, and the Twins were forced to use infielder Jonah Bride to pitch the ninth inning. Bride, making his fourth pitching appearance during this stretch, allowed five runs.
The Brewers' victory moved them to a season-high six games over .500. They have won seven of their last nine road games and are now 17-20 on the road for the season. The Brewers are 18-15 against AL teams this season, including 8-7 against AL Central teams.
Looking ahead, José Quintana is scheduled to start for Milwaukee on Saturday against Minnesota's Simeon Woods Richardson.
