Jacob Misiorowski struck out 11 Chicago White Sox batters to set a Milwaukee Brewers Opening Day record, as the team's pitchers combined for 20 strikeouts in a 14-2 victory Thursday at American Family Field. The total tied the modern Major League mark for a nine-inning game. Munetaka Murakami provided a highlight for the White Sox with his first MLB hit, a ninth-inning home run.
MILWAUKEE -- In his first career Opening Day start, 23-year-old Jacob Misiorowski delivered a dominant performance, fanning 11 White Sox hitters over five innings while allowing one run on two hits and three walks. That effort set a new Brewers franchise record for Opening Day strikeouts, surpassing the previous mark of eight established by Ben Sheets in 2002 and tied by Freddy Peralta in 2024 and 2025. Relievers Aaron Ashby, Grant Anderson, DL Hall and Jake Woodford followed, pushing the total to 20 strikeouts and tying the modern MLB record for a nine-inning game since at least 1901, a feat achieved only nine times in the last 125 seasons, most recently by the Astros and Mets in 2022. Hall struck out three in the eighth, while Woodford added three despite yielding Murakami's homer to lead off the ninth. Brewers manager Pat Murphy praised Misiorowski: “Sometimes you’ve got to get punched in the face to respond. I thought Miz did a great job responding.” Misiorowski, rebounding from Chase Meidroth's leadoff homer, generated 25 swings and misses. “It just feels like you're floating, almost,” he said. The Brewers offense erupted for 14 runs, their most on Opening Day since 1999, highlighted by William Contreras’ bases-clearing double, and home runs from Sal Frelick and Jake Bauers. For the White Sox, Murakami's 384-foot ninth-inning blast off Woodford marked his first major league hit and came after two walks. Fan Steve Pollack, who caught the ball, traded it back for a signed bat. “It was a special occasion, and I’m really happy the ball came back,” Murakami said through interpreter Kenzo Yagi. White Sox starter Shane Smith struggled, yielding four runs in five outs, while the team issued 10 walks and struck out 20 times at the plate. Manager Will Venable called it “not good at all.” At 23 years and 357 days old, Misiorowski became the youngest pitcher with double-digit Opening Day strikeouts since Félix Hernández in 2007.
