Misiorowski tosses 5 shutout innings, Brewers top Pirates 5-1 to win 4th straight NL Central title

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jacob Misiorowski struck out seven in five shutout innings and the Milwaukee Brewers won their their fourth straight National League Central title with a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

About 50 minutes after the final out, the Brewers clinched the division when the second-place Chicago Cubs lost to Atlanta. Milwaukee players watched the end of that game on television, raising hands and cheering at the final out.

The flamethrowing Misiorowski (15-5) dropped his ERA to major league-best 1.89 and boosted his season strikeout total to 243. Nine of the towering right-hander’s first 10 pitches topped 100 mph and he worked around five hits — all singles — to win his fourth straight decision.

Joey Ortiz and Luis Lara drove in two runs each for the Brewers, who have become postseason fixtures for the last decade but are still seeking the franchise’s first World Series appearance since 1982. Swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers last season’s NL Championship Series, Milwaukee has qualified for the postseason for the eighth time in nine years.