Misiorowski Matches Doc Gooden's 1985 Historic Streak

Jacob Misiorowski just did something no pitcher had done in 41 years: open a season with 25 consecutive starts allowing 3 earned runs or fewer. The last man to do it was Doc Gooden in 1985 — and Gooden was posting a 1.53 ERA that year in what many still consider one of the most dominant pitching seasons of the 20th century. Misiorowski is only the seventh pitcher in MLB history to reach that mark, and his Statcast numbers make clear this is no fluke.

The streak in context

Go back to 1985. Ronald Reagan was in the White House, the New York Mets were the hottest team in baseball, and a 20-year-old Dwight «Doc» Gooden was carving up the league. That season, Gooden ran off 25 straight starts from Opening Day without allowing more than 3 earned runs. Nobody matched it for four decades — until now.

Misiorowski enters this milestone with a 13-5 record and a 1.68 ERA in 2026. He isn’t winning close games on the back of run support or lucky defense. He’s simply shutting lineups down, start after start. His WHIP sits at 0.75 — fewer than one baserunner per inning — which tells you everything about how clean his outings have been.

Why hitters can’t touch him

Misiorowski’s fastball doesn’t just register fast — it’s genuinely hard to pick up. He averages 99.8 mph with 2,626 rpm of spin, placing both his velocity and spin rate in the 100th and 99th percentiles league-wide, respectively. The practical result: 37.9% of swings against him don’t make contact.

Across 145.0 innings in 2026, opposing hitters are batting just .150 against him with an average exit velocity of only 86.8 mph. The softer they hit it, the easier the outs. Only 3.8% of contact against him qualifies as a barrel — the category where hitters actually do damage.

He has struck out 216 batters against just 33 walks, punching out 39.3% of every hitter he faces. And his xERA of 1.98 — the ERA his contact quality actually deserves, independent of luck — confirms the results are real. No smoke, no mirrors.

The list of seven

Only seven pitchers in MLB history have opened a season with 25 or more consecutive starts allowing 3 earned runs or fewer. This stat measures starts from Day 1 of the calendar year, which makes it more demanding than a mid-season streak — there’s no warm-up period, no margin to find your footing. Misiorowski is the newest name on that list.

Milwaukee controls his contract through 2029. At 25 years old, the conversation already starting in league circles is whether the Brewers will be able to keep him when free agency arrives — or whether the market will pull him out of Wisconsin before they’re ready to let go. For now, Misiorowski is focused on the next start. The record is already there.