Misiorowski Dominates as Brewers Crush White Sox in Opening Day Rout

The Milwaukee Brewers opened their 2026 season Thursday at American Family Field with a statement victory, absolutely demolishing the Chicago White Sox 14-2 in a performance that will be remembered for one dominant pitching display and one team’s complete inability to manufacture runs when it mattered.

Pitching Decisions

1.2IP3H3ER2BB2K

Star Performers

Chase Meidroth

Season AVG: .500
2AB1H1HR1RBI1R2BB
Jake Bauers

Season AVG: .400
5AB2H1HR3RBI2R0BB

Let’s start with the elephant in the room, Jacob Misiorowski. The kid was absolutely untouchable, striking out 11 batters across five innings while allowing just two hits and one run. That’s a franchise Opening Day strikeout record, and frankly, it wasn’t even close. The White Sox looked like they’d never seen a fastball before, flailing helplessly at a pitcher who had no business being this dominant this early in the season. Misiorowski wasn’t just good, he was historically dominant, and the Brewers need to understand they have something special on their hands.

Jacob Misiorowski strikes out 11 in Opening Day start

Brewers’ Offense Runs Wild Early

While Misiorowski was carving up the White Sox lineup, Milwaukee’s hitters were shredding Shane Smith like he owed them money. Smith lasted just 1.2 innings, surrendering three runs on three hits. By the second inning, the Brewers had already built a commanding lead, and frankly, this game was over before the White Sox even got comfortable in the batter’s box.

William Contreras' bases-clearing double

William Contreras was the aggressor early, launching a bases-clearing double in the second inning that scored three runs and set the tone. Joey Ortiz was a pest all night, collecting two RBI singles as the Brewers jumped all over early opportunities. But the real damage came later, with Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick both going deep to pad what became a laughably lopsided margin.

Jake Bauers' first home run of the season
Sal Frelick's first home run of the season

White Sox Offense Largely Invisible

Chicago managed just two runs, and both came off solo home runs. Chase Meidroth got the White Sox on the board with a solo shot in the first inning, and Munetaka Murakami added another solo blast in the ninth as a consolation prize. But between those two moments? Silence. Deafening, painful silence.

Chase Meidroth's first home run of the season
Munetaka Murakami's first Major League home run

This was supposed to be a competitive Opening Day matchup. Instead, it became a showcase for why the Brewers are built to compete while the White Sox appear to be in full rebuild mode. The White Sox struck out 20 times on the night. Twenty! That’s not baseball, that’s an execution. The lineup looked overmatched, confused, and frankly, they looked like a team that knows it’s going to lose a lot of games this season.

Murakami did provide one bright spot for Chicago, drilling his first career home run to get the crowd noise up in the ninth. But one home run doesn’t erase a 14-2 beatdown, and it certainly doesn’t excuse the offensive impotence on display for eight and two-thirds innings.

Jacob Misiorowski records his 11th K of Opening Day

Thursday night in Milwaukee belonged entirely to the Brewers. Misiorowski’s historic performance, the relentless offensive barrage, and the White Sox’s complete inability to mount any resistance made this one of the most lopsided Opening Day affairs in recent memory. The Brewers opened their season with a statement. The White Sox opened theirs with a warning sign that’s impossible to ignore.

Box Score

Chicago White Sox Batting

Player AB R H RBI BB SO AVG
Chase Meidroth 2B 2 1 1 1 2 1 .500
Colson Montgomery SS 4 0 0 0 0 3 .000
Miguel Vargas 3B 3 0 0 0 1 3 .000
Andrew Benintendi DH 2 0 0 0 0 2 .000
Lenyn Sosa DH 2 0 0 0 0 1 .000
Austin Hays LF 4 0 1 0 0 2 .250
Munetaka Murakami 1B 2 1 1 1 2 0 .500
Everson Pereira RF 3 0 0 0 0 3 .000
Tristan Peters PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000
Edgar Quero C 3 0 0 0 0 2 .000
Reese McGuire PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000
Luisangel Acuña CF 3 0 1 0 0 0 .333
Derek Hill PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Chicago White Sox Pitching

Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO ERA
Shane Smith (L) 1.2 3 4 3 2 2 16.20
Sean Newcomb 2.1 3 2 2 1 1 7.71
Tyler Gilbert 1.0 2 2 2 1 0 18.00
Jordan Hicks 0.2 2 3 3 4 0 40.50
Jedixson Paez 1.1 2 3 3 2 0 20.25
Jordan Leasure 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00

Milwaukee Brewers Batting

Player AB R H RBI BB SO AVG
Brice Turang 2B 4 0 2 0 1 1 .500
William Contreras C 3 1 1 3 2 0 .333
Christian Yelich DH 4 2 2 1 1 0 .500
Andrew Vaughn 1B 4 0 1 1 0 0 .250
Brandon Lockridge LF 1 2 0 0 0 0 .000
Jake Bauers 1B 5 2 2 3 0 2 .400
Sal Frelick RF 3 2 1 2 2 0 .333
David Hamilton SS 2 2 1 1 2 0 .500
Garrett Mitchell CF 1 1 0 1 2 0 .000
Blake Perkins CF 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Joey Ortiz SS 3 2 2 2 0 0 .667
Luis Rengifo 3B 2 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Milwaukee Brewers Pitching

Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO ERA
Jacob Misiorowski (W) 5.0 2 1 1 3 11 1.80
Aaron Ashby 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0.00
Grant Anderson 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0.00
DL Hall 1.0 1 0 0 2 3 0.00
Jake Woodford 1.0 1 1 1 0 3 9.00