You know, I spent some time in St. Louis as a player. Good town. Great arch. The Cardinals fans are knowledgeable, passionate people who really appreciate good baseball. On Wednesday night, Jacob Misiorowski gave them plenty to appreciate — most of it from the wrong side of the plate.
The kid went seven innings, gave up one run, struck out seven, and threw the ball 104.1 miles per hour at one point in the sixth inning that I'm pretty sure cleared customs in Tennessee before it reached the catcher's mitt. Seven innings. One run. In Busch Stadium. Against a Cardinals lineup that scores runs for a living.
The one run he gave up came in the fourth inning on a solo home run — which, if you ask me, is the baseball equivalent of a participation trophy at this point. You held Jacob Misiorowski to one run in seven innings? Congratulations. Here's your little red bat souvenir.
Seven strikeouts. Some of them were the kind where the hitter swings, misses, and then looks back at the umpire like maybe he called the pitch a ball. He didn't. The pitch was a strike. A very, very fast strike.
The Brewers win. Misiorowski improves his record. I get back on the team bus and remind myself that I once led the National League in passed balls and somehow I get to watch this kid pitch every five days. Life is strange. And occasionally, it is very good.