This afternoon at American Family Field, Milwaukee hosts Atlanta in the most compelling starting-pitcher matchup of the 2026 regular season: Jacob Misiorowski (1.75 ERA) against Chris Sale (2.16 ERA) — the two lowest ERAs in all of baseball, sharing the same Friday slate. This isn’t your average August game. The Brewers (79-49) lead the NL Central and the Braves (75-53) lead the NL East, so what you’re really watching could be a preview of an NLDS matchup.
Misiorowski at 24: A Season Nobody Expected This Soon
Jacob Misiorowski is in just his second full big-league season and he already leads MLB in ERA (1.75), WHIP (0.748), and strikeouts (210). That last number comes with serious historical context: he reached 200 strikeouts in 129.1 innings, the second-fastest pace in Major League history. On June 6 against Colorado, he broke the Statcast-era record for a starting pitcher with a 103.7 mph fastball, per MLB’s Sarah Langs.
His last start came against the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers — one run allowed in six innings. Hitters are batting just .151 against him in 2026. His whiff rate sits at 37.8%, 98th percentile per Statcast, meaning nearly four out of every ten swings against him end in nothing but air.
Before today’s game, Misiorowski kept it simple when asked about the matchup: «I don’t really focus on matchups, but it’s going to be fun.» Twenty-four years old and already knows exactly how to handle a microphone.
Sale at 37: Hard to Find a Comparison
Chris Sale won the 2024 NL Cy Young with Atlanta (18-3, 2.38 ERA) and hasn’t let up in 2026: 2.16 ERA, 2.30 FIP, and 160 strikeouts in 129 innings. To find a comparable season from a 37-year-old pitcher, MLB.com points to Roger Clemens in 2005 or Justin Verlander in 2022.
His fastball averages 96 mph — 75th percentile in MLB — and generates a 30% whiff rate. Statcast clocks his average exit velocity allowed at 87.8 mph, one of the lowest marks among elite starters this season. That translates to soft contact: 80th percentile in barrels avoided, 76th percentile in hard-hit rate allowed.
Against Milwaukee specifically, Sale is 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA in six career starts. The money line has Milwaukee as the favorite (-146), but that’s largely home-field advantage talking — Sale is not walking into this one at a disadvantage.
Why This Game Matters Beyond Friday
The Brewers are 43-23 at American Family Field. The Braves, at 75-53, own the NL East. If the playoffs started today, these two clubs would be on separate NL tracks until a potential Championship Series — but the race for the best record in the National League could bring them together sooner. Tonight is, in practical terms, free scouting for both organizations.
The series wraps Sunday with the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, giving this three-game set a unique late-summer feel. But before the glamour of Williamsport, there’s tonight: the two best ERAs in baseball, same mound, same park, first pitch at 4:10 p.m. ET.
Sale’s 2026 Numbers by the Digits
- 22 starts, 129.0 innings
- ERA: 2.16 · WHIP: 1.02
- 160 strikeouts, 28 walks (30.9% K rate)
- xERA: 3.06
- Fastball: 96 mph avg / 2,318 rpm spin rate
- Whiff rate: 30%
- Opponent batting average: .216
- Average exit velocity allowed: 87.8 mph
- Barrel rate allowed: 5.6%
How Sale ranks league-wide (Statcast percentiles):
- xERA: 87th percentile
- Strikeout rate (K%): 94th percentile
- Walk rate (BB%): 93rd percentile
- Whiff %: 83rd percentile
- Fastball velocity: 75th percentile
- xwOBA against: 87th percentile
- Barrels avoided: 80th percentile
- Hard-hit avoided: 76th percentile
