MILWAUKEE — Young ace Jacob Misiorowski pitched six scoreless innings to outduel old pro Chris Sale in a masterful matchup on the mound, and William Contreras went 4-for-4 as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Atlanta Braves 2-1 on Friday afternoon at American Family Field to open a three-game series between National League division leaders.
Misiorowski (13-5) struck out six batters while allowing four hits and two walks to win the showdown of Cy Young Award contenders from first-place teams. Misiorowski threw 96 pitches and hit at least 100 mph on 32 of them — including a top velocity of 103.1 — but also mixed in more sliders than usual.
He lowered his ERA to 1.68 and increased his strikeout total to 216. The 24-year-old right-hander, who made his Major League Baseball debut in June 2025 but is already a two-time MLB All-Star, leads the major leagues in both categories.
Atlanta left the bases loaded in the eighth and stranded the potential tying run at second in the ninth when Trevor Megill struck out Ronald Acuña Jr. to earn his 24th save in 26 opportunities this season.
Sale, a 37-year-old left-hander and one of the pitchers Misiorowski has said he admired most while growing up, scattered eight hits and walked none while striking out six in six innings. The 2024 Cy Young Award winner and 10-time MLB All-Star has allowed three runs or fewer in an MLB-leading 20 consecutive starts.