Brewers tab Jacob Misiorowski to start Game 1 of the NLCS against the Dodgers

The Milwaukee Brewers have officially named Jacob Misiorowski as their starting pitcher for Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday at American Family Field. The announcement formalizes the Brewers’ lead-game plan as they open their NLCS matchup, with Milwaukee choosing Misiorowski to begin a series that can quickly swing on early leverage and first-time timing.

Misiorowski, 24, enters the postseason drawing the league’s attention as the presumptive NL Cy Young Award winner this year, according to the MLB release. That billing matters because an NLCS starter is not simply asked to survive. He is asked to set the tone against a Dodgers lineup known for working counts and demanding consistent, repeatable execution.

On the other side of the matchup, Misiorowski will oppose Tarik Skubal, who the team release describes as a two-time AL Cy Young Award winner. The contrast is immediate: the Brewers are deploying their most prominent high-end arm for the first inning-and-batter sequence of the series, while the Dodgers counter with a proven postseason weapon who has previously delivered at the level required to earn Cy Young recognition more than once.

Game 1 in a championship series is often treated as a measuring stick for both rotations. With Misiorowski set to start, Milwaukee is effectively indicating that it wants its best starting-pitching characteristics to show up early, rather than asking the bullpen to absorb the earliest uncertainty. For Los Angeles, the Skubal matchup also functions as a statement, positioning the Dodgers to lean on an innings-stabilizing presence from the start.

The Misiorowski-versus-Skubal setup also creates a direct storyline for how each team handles its first turn through the opposing order. Star starters in October tend to shape the game not just by run prevention, but by forcing hitters into earlier-than-planned swings, altering approach decisions, and dictating whether the opposing lineup can generate quality looks with runners on.

Looking ahead, what to watch is how long each starter can hold up the plan that both teams have chosen. In an NLCS, the starter’s ability to navigate trouble and keep the pitch mix usable later in the game can decide the late innings just as much as early strike throwing.

For Milwaukee, the decision to start Misiorowski in Game 1 is the cleanest expression of its playoff identity through the rotation: lean on a top-tier arm from the first out. For Los Angeles, sending Skubal to face him ensures the opening game is contested with two Cy Young-caliber pitchers, making the first matchup of the series as consequential as it is marquee.