Jacob Misiorowski reached an MLB-best 185 strikeouts with a dominant 12-strikeout start, retiring his first 12 batters and carrying a perfect game through four innings. Eleven of those first 12 outs came by strikeout, setting the tone for a five-inning performance built on overwhelming command.

What happened

Misiorowski finished with one hit and one earned run allowed, issuing no walks across his five innings. The right-hander threw 59 of his 83 pitches for strikes and recorded 12 of his 15 outs by strikeout.

His perfect-game bid remained intact through the end of the fourth inning before ending in the fifth. Even after allowing his only hit and earned run, Misiorowski completed the outing without surrendering a walk.

Why it matters

The start came two weeks after Jacob Misiorowski was scratched because of arm fatigue. His ability to fill the strike zone and miss bats provided another data point as his workload becomes a larger consideration down the stretch.

Misiorowski has now thrown 120 innings, leaving him 21 1/3 innings shy of last year's total. That gap places his next several starts under added focus as his innings rise and the season progresses.

By the numbers

Misiorowski's 12 strikeouts accounted for 80% of the outs he recorded. That translated to a 21.6 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate for the outing, a level of dominance that pushed his season total to the top of MLB at 185.

His 59 strikes represented 71.1% of his 83 pitches. With no walks allowed, the strike rate reflected the efficiency behind a performance in which nearly every out came without a ball being put in play.

What to watch next

Misiorowski's next turn in the rotation will provide another look at how his innings are managed after the recent arm-fatigue scratch. With 120 innings already logged and last year's total drawing closer, both his usage and his ability to sustain this level of swing-and-miss production will remain central to the stretch run.