Milwaukee Brewers rookie pitcher Jacob Misiorowski made his highly anticipated Major League debut on June 12, throwing five hitless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals. Eight days later he carried a perfect game into the seventh against the Minnesota Twins. It is one of the most impressive opening acts any pitcher has ever put together. And through five starts the righthander has been excellent, posting a 4–1 record with a 2.81 ERA, inflated by a sole misfire against the New York Mets.
So, with 25 innings pitched to his name, he is an All-Star. He'll soon be rubbing shoulders with future Hall of Famers with sparest résumé to share in the game's history. This is a surprising development and there are no shortage of fans and players who downright hate it. Trea Turner and Nick Castellanos made pointed comments about the decision, which left their deserving Phillies teammates Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez to watch from home. Turner called it a joke and terrible. Castellanos wondered whether MLB is turning into the Savannah Bananas. Columnists everywhere are having a field day ripping the perceived publicity stunt and pleading for a return to meritocracy.
