Through the first two months of the 2026 Major League Baseball season, Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski has elevated himself to ace status.

Through his first 11 starts of the season, Misiorowski has produced a 4-2 record with a 1.83 ERA. Currently, he is tied with Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease for the most strikeouts in baseball (92), his ERA is the fifth-best and his 0.87 WHIP is the third-best. His .155 opponent batting average is also the best in MLB.

Misiorowski has found success in his lighting-fast velocity and his ability to use adrenaline to his advantage, but he also has a quirky ritual that he has stuck with for years. In a recent episode of On Base with Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star shortstop Mookie Betts, Misiorowski revealed that ritual.

"Okay, so during every game when I pitch, I only chew one piece of gum the whole game," Misirowski said.

"The whole game," Betts said surprisingly. "So, why is that? You're in there for a long time. You're chewing one piece of gum for like two hours, and there's 1,000 pieces in there. So, it runs out of flavor, and you just keep chewing?"

Misiorowski confirmed all of Betts’ questions, and he provided the origin of his decision to stick with the same piece of gum.

"So, okay, I was in AAA, and I changed my piece of gum," Misiorowski said. "The next inning, gave up a grand slam; a base hit. It just kind of started with that, and I was like, 'Screw it, I'm never doing that again, never chewing the same piece.'"

Because of his choice to make one piece of gum last through an entire game, Misiorowski believes the sugar-free pieces are the best option.

"Yeah, it lasts, the structure of the gum lasts longer," he told Betts. "But the sugar-free one stays like a solid piece of gum."

"OK, OK, OK, good for you," Betts said. "Good for you, sugar-free. Weird, but."

"I mean, hey, we're all weird," Misiorowski responded.

Since adopting his superstitious practice, Misiorowski has become the fastest player in MLB history to earn an All-Star selection after he accomplished the feat following his first five career games. He has become the Brewers’ best pitcher, especially after the organization decided to trade Freddy Peralta during the offseason.

At just 24 years old, Misirowski’s career is on a rapid upward trajectory, and perhaps his self-imposed limitation on gum is helping him along.

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