Jacob Misiorowski Threw 1,115 Pitches of 100 MPH or More. The Old Record Was 673

Before this season, no pitcher had thrown more than 673 pitches of 100 mph or faster in a season. That was Jordan Hicks in 2018. Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski threw 1,115.

The 24-year-old hit 104 mph 22 times and topped out at 105.5, a pitch Pete Crow-Armstrong fouled off on June 26. He is the extreme example of a league that keeps throwing harder.

Faster every year

Four-seam fastballs averaged 94.8 mph this season, according to Statcast, a record for the sixth year in a row. The average was 94.5 last year and 91.9 in 2008, when tracking began. Pitchers 25 and younger averaged 95.9, so the trend isn't slowing down. Pittsburgh's staff threw hardest at 96.3 mph, and the Cubs were slowest at 93.7.

League-wide there were 5,687 pitches of 100 mph or more, up from 3,701 last year. In 2008 there were 214.

"Everybody throws 100," Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon said. "Now, if they bring a mop-up guy in, he's got five pitches and throws 100." Atlanta's Chris Sale, 37, averaged a career-high 96.1 mph himself.

Starters are going shorter

Pitchers threw just 21 complete games, a record low, and 11 complete-game shutouts. Seventeen teams never had a starter record an out in the ninth inning, according to Elias. Starters averaged 15.14 outs, about five innings, and 83.2 pitches.

Hitters didn't gain much. The league batted .244, and Houston's Yordan Alvarez won the batting title at .316, the lowest mark ever for the overall champion. Walks went up to 3.36 per team per game in the first year of challenges to the robot umpires, the most in a full season since 2009.

The postseason starts Tuesday with four wild-card series. Expect to see a lot of triple digits on the radar gun.