Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski unanimously wins NL Cy Young Award after record-setting, World Series-winning season

Jacob Misiorowski broke fastball velocity records in 2026. He won a World Series title in 2026. And now he's the 2026 NL Cy Young Award winner. The flame-throwing right-hander added the award for the season's top pitcher to his trophy case on Wednesday, beating finalists Cristopher Sánchez of the Philadelphia Phillies and Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves . The vote was unanimous, with Misiorowski receiving first-place votes from all 30 BBWAA voters. It is the second consecutive season in which the award has been unanimous, after Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates did the same in 2025. New York Yankees ace Cam Schlittler also won the AL Cy Young Award unanimously over Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays and Parker Messick of the Cleveland Guardians . It is only the third time in the history of the award that both leagues have been unanimous, joining 2022 (Justin Verlander and Sandy Alcantara) and 1968 (Bob Gibson and Denny McLain). The margin by which Misiorowski won is of little surprise. No pitcher dominated the NL like he did this year, leading the league in ERA (1.80 in 174 2/3 innings), strikeouts (252), WHIP (.802), FIP (2.17) and batting average against (.157). That was before he posted a 1.89 ERA across four starts during Milwaukee's World Series run, which didn't factor into the award voting. (Votes are cast at the end of the regular season.) Misiorowski's arm was a key part of a historic season for the Brewers, who won a franchise-record 103 games, then departed the list of MLB teams that have never won a World Series. He is the fourth Milwaukee pitcher to win a Cy Young, joining Corbin Burnes (2021), Pete Vuckovich (1982) and Rollie Fingers (1981). Vuckovich and Fingers won the AL version of the award. Misiorowski has had all eyes on him since his first MLB start last year, when he showed up with a triple-digit fastball and began his big-league career with 11 straight no-hit innings . He had an up-and-down rookie year, but that now looks like just a warm-up act for what happened in 2026. A triple-digit fastball is only the start of Jacob Misiorowski's dominance The previous record for the fastest pitch ever thrown by a starting pitcher (and tracked by MLB, going back to 2008) was set by Jordan Hicks in 2022, when he dialed his fastball up to 103.2 mph. Misiorowski broke that record on May 8 with a 103.6 mph pitch. "The Miz" then proceeded to throw 107 more pitches of 103.2 mph or faster over the course of the 2026 season , regularly setting a new velocity standard for starting pitchers. He reached his peak on June 26, when he hit 105.5 mph . Only two pitches in MLB history have been tracked as faster, with both coming from Aroldis Chapman as a reliever. Not only did Misiorowski throw harder than MLB has ever seen from a starter, but his 6-foot-7 frame and low arm angle also give him elite extension to the plate, so batters have even less time to react. And he commands his pitches well, with a huge spin rate. His fastball could very well be the best MLB has ever seen . Oh, and he throws a slider in the 90s, too. Just imagine trying to hit this sequence. With all that, it's no wonder Misiorowski did what he did in 2026. He began the season by setting a Brewers Opening Day record with 11 strikeouts against the Chicago White Sox . He went six straight starts without allowing an extra-base hit between April and May . He posted his masterpiece in June, striking out 15 Phillies while facing the minimum in his first career shutout . The 2026 NL Cy Young race looked like it would be competitive for much of the first half, but it was a one-man race by the All-Star break, provided that Misiorowski stayed healthy. He did, and he ultimately started the final game of the MLB postseason. Will Misiorowski stay healthy going forward, given how hard he throws? The history of flame-throwing starting pitchers is against him. Even so, what the 24-year-old did in his second MLB season will be remembered as special.