Nostalgia: Then & Now · Walter Finch · 21 August 2026

Braves Brewers: Misiorowski faces childhood favorite Sale

Braves Brewers: Misiorowski faces childhood favorite Sale

Jacob Misiorowski faces childhood favorite Chris Sale on Friday as the Braves Brewers open a three-game set in Milwaukee, putting two National League Cy Young contenders on the same mound stage at American Family Field before the series shifts to the Little League Classic. First pitch is set for 3:10 p.m. CT, with Milwaukee holding baseball’s best record and Atlanta sitting atop the NL East.

Key Takeaways

Why does this Braves Brewers pitching duel matter so much?

Friday’s starter pairing is more than a nostalgia beat. It is a live Cy Young measuring stick between the National League’s top two ERAs, according to series previews and league leaders tracked into late August.

Misiorowski leads the majors with a 1.75 ERA, a 0.748 WHIP, 210 strikeouts, and a 2.14 FIP. Sale follows closely at 2.16 ERA with a 2.30 FIP and 160 strikeouts over 129 innings. OutKick coverage via Fox News notes Sale ranks second in ERA and seventh in WHIP league-wide, framing both arms as true award contenders.

The Nostalgia: Then & Now storyline sharpens the stakes: a Brewers ace who once watched Sale’s emotion on the mound is now matching him for the league’s highest honor. Milwaukee owns baseball’s best record and is chasing its 80th win this weekend, while Atlanta holds the NL East and the third-best mark in the National League behind only the Brewers and Dodgers.

Both clubs also arrive with thin pitching depth. Milwaukee is without several bullpen pieces and season-ending losses of starters Quinn Priester and Brandon Woodruff. Atlanta is missing Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider, and other arms, which makes a clean Sale outing even more valuable in a tight race.

How did Misiorowski grow up admiring Chris Sale?

Per MLB.com, Misiorowski will not only oppose a fellow Cy Young contender—he will face one of his favorite players from childhood. He was eight years old when Sale debuted in the majors, and he followed the left-hander’s All-Star runs with the White Sox and Red Sox.

“I don’t really focus on matchups, but it’s going to be fun,” Misiorowski told MLB.com. “It’s like playing [Clayton] Kershaw last year. One of those moments where it’s, holy cow, you’re in the big leagues.”

Meeting Sale at last year’s All-Star Game was among the highlights of Misiorowski’s Midsummer Classic invitation, which came just five starts into his big-league career. Asked what he liked most about Sale beyond the perennial All-Star pedigree, Misiorowski pointed to fire on the mound.

“I like how he is, how he shows emotion,” he said. “He was one of the first true guys to really show emotion back in the day. When he got a big strikeout, he would let you know. I think that was cool. As a kid, that’s where I got it from. I’m not trying to be one of those quiet guys who just walks off.”

That then-and-now loop is the emotional core of Friday’s Braves Brewers card: the kid who copied Sale’s energy now shares a billboard with him as co-favorites in the NL Cy Young race.

What do the numbers say about Friday’s Cy Young clash?

Misiorowski enters off six solid innings against the Dodgers—one run, five hits, one walk, and six strikeouts—for the win. Across roughly 140 innings in 23 starts, OutKick notes he has not allowed more than three earned runs in any outing, a consistency that underpins his league-leading ERA and WHIP.

His only prior look at Atlanta came in June, when he took a loss after allowing two runs on five hits and a walk with seven strikeouts over six innings. Sale answered that series with 5 2/3 innings of two unearned runs and seven strikeouts in a Braves win.

Sale, 37, is in his 16th MLB season and third with Atlanta. After winning the NL Cy Young in 2024, Brew Crew Ball notes he has been arguably even better this year. His last start against Arizona was a tough 2-0 loss despite one run on five hits, no walks, and nine strikeouts over six innings.

Career-wise against Milwaukee, Sale is 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA and 52 strikeouts over 39 innings in six starts. OutKick also flags that he has been stronger at home than on the road, and that Atlanta’s 33-30 road mark trails its home form—context that matters with Sale pitching in Milwaukee.

Team offense adds another layer. Matt Olson (36 homers) and Wisconsin native Drake Baldwin lead Atlanta’s attack, while Jake Bauers (22 homers), Brice Turang, Garrett Mitchell, and Joey Ortiz have paced Milwaukee lately. The Brewers rank high in runs and steals but last in home runs; the Braves hit for more power but steal far less.

Where does the Braves Brewers series go after Friday?

Saturday’s 1:10 p.m. game pairs Brewers right-hander Logan Henderson (7-2, 2.70 ERA) against Braves lefty Martín Pérez (8-7, 3.15 ERA). Henderson’s last outing was a career-high seven innings and one run versus Los Angeles; Pérez was roughed up for four runs in five innings against Minnesota.

Sunday’s finale is the showcase: the MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, with Shane Drohan (6-4, 3.86 ERA) lined up for Milwaukee against Tyler Mahle (4-10, 4.53 ERA overall), who has posted a 1.45 ERA in three August starts since Atlanta acquired him from San Francisco.

Bullpens remain central if the starters trade zeroes. Trevor Megill (2.39 ERA, 23 saves) closes for Milwaukee, while Raisel Iglesias (3.09 ERA, 26 saves) and Dylan Lee (2.02 ERA) anchor Atlanta. Both staffs rank among the NL’s best in team ERA—Brewers 3.46 (second) and Braves 3.64 (fifth).

Brew Crew Ball’s series preview picks Milwaukee to take two of three. OutKick leans Brewers behind Misiorowski’s ERA and WHIP lead. Either way, Friday’s opener already delivers the weekend’s headline: a Braves Brewers Cy Young duel wrapped in a childhood-hero rematch.

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