Pitchers Rule The Day as NL Beats AL, 5-0, In 2023 Futures Game

Image credit: Jacob Misiorowski (Photo by Jorden Dixon/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

SEATTLE — The Futures Game is typically a display of long home runs, dynamic defense and all-around excellence from the best young position players in the game.

In the 24th edition of the premier prospect showcase, it was the pitchers who stole the show.

Eight National League pitchers combined to pitch a shutout with 12 strikeouts, and the NL beat the AL, 5-0, in the Futures Game at T-Mobile Park on Saturday afternoon.

Phillies righthander Mick Abel, Cardinals righthander Tink Hence, Giants lefthander Carson Whisenhunt, Brewers righthander Jacob Misiorowski, Braves righthander Spencer Schwellenbach and Pirates righthander J.P. Massey each pitched a scoreless inning to hold down the AL offense. Mets righthander Mike Vasil got the first out of the seventh inning with a strikeout and Marlins lefthander Patrick Monteverde wrapped up the shutout with a game-ending 6-4-3 double play to end it.

It was the fourth shutout in Futures Game history, and the first since 2008.

“We were all sitting in the bullpen and after your Mick through a scoreless first and we’re like ‘Let’s get a shutout today,’ ” said Schwellenbach, the Braves No. 5 prospect. “And we got it done.”

The sheer velocity from the NL staff stood out from the outset. Abel and Hence averaged 98 and 97 mph on their fastballs, respectively, as the NL’s first two pitchers. Whisenhunt entered in the third and struck out a pair while averaging 95 mph on his fastball from the left side.

Misiorowski, the Brewers’ second-round pick in 2022, entered in the fourth and took things to another level. The 6-foot-7 righthander sat 100-102 mph on his fastball and struck out the side—all swinging—with a vicious array of high-octane heaters and mid-90s sliders. He got six swings and misses, the most of any pitcher in the game, and the only hit he allowed was a broken-bat single by Tigers infielder Colt Keith that fell in over the second baseman’s head.

“That’s what I do,” said Misiorowski, the Brewers No. 4 prospect.  “That’s what I throw. That was my goal, just throw what I’ve been throwing all year.”

All 11 of Misiorowski’s fastballs clocked in at over 100 mph. He was responsible for nine of the 10 hardest-thrown pitches in the game.

“That was electric,” Whisenhunt said. “Seeing that for the first time was pretty cool.”

The NL offense wasn’t overly impactful, but it didn’t need to be with the way its pitching staff was throwing.

The NL jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning when Royals righthander Will Klein struggled to find the strike zone and walked two of the first three batters to open the frame. With one out and runners on the corners, Brewers catcher Jefferson Quero chopped a single off the glove of Orioles shortstop Jackson Holliday to score Noelvi Marte with the game’s first run. Two batters later, Justin Crawford lifted a shallow fly ball to center that Jonatan Clase raced in to make a diving catch on, but it was enough to score Endy Rodriguez from third base for a sacrifice fly.

Hence, Whisenhunt and Misiorowski followed with their high-octane innings to keep the NL in front and Scwhellenbach pitched a scoreless fifth with a pair of strikeouts, getting both Spencer Jones and Kyren Paris swinging on 98 mph fastballs.

The NL finally got the big hit to put the game away in the top of the sixth when Marlins shortstop Nasim Nuñez lined a bases-clearing double down the left-field line off Blue Jays righthander Yosver Zulueta to break the game open and give the NL a 5-0 lead.

Nunez finished 1-for-1 with a double, three RBIs and a stolen base and was named MVP.

“This is an honor,” said Nuñez, the Marlins No. 9 prospect. “This is something I worked for. I enjoyed every moment.”

That was more than enough for the NL staff. Massey ran into a jam when he walked the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, but he struck out Red Sox second baseman Nick Yorke swinging over a curveball to escape the jam and keep the shutout intact.

Vasil and Monteverde finished it off in the seventh, sealing one of the most dominant pitching performances in Futures Game history.

“It was amazing,” Hence said. “You know a lot of a lot of these guys I see maybe across Twitter or something, but just to be in the presence and watch it live, I mean, can’t get too much better than that.”

The AL had some notable pitching performances, too. Guardians lefthander Joey Cantillo pitched 1.2 scoreless innings of relief and struck out a pair while touching 98 mph from the left side. He got five swings and misses, second-most of any pitcher in the game behind Misiorowski. He struck out Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong swinging through a 98 mph fastball and got D-backs shortstop Jordan Lawlar whiffing over an 82 mph changeup off the plate.

Twins righthander David Festa sat 97 mph on his fastball in a scoreless inning of work and got swinging strikes on both his slider and changeup. He struck out Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio, the No. 3 prospect on the BA Top 100, on a slider to end the fifth.

Red Sox shortstop Marcelo Mayer went 1-for-1 with a single and a stolen base and made a sharp play on a chopper to end the first inning for the AL. Yorke went 1-for-3 with a double for the AL’s only extra-base hit.

“I felt like every single person that was coming in was throwing 100,” Yorke said. “Everyone who is here is deserving. Everyone that went out there was really good.”

The game also featured the use of the ABS challenge system, in which teams can challenge ball and strike calls made by the umpire.

The first challenge came in the top of the second inning when American League catcher Harry Ford challenged a ball called high on Endy Rodriguez. The call was reviewed using ABS technology and confirmed to be correct.

The first, and only, successful challenge came in the bottom of the second when Tigers infielder Justyn Henry-Malloy took a 3-1 fastball low for a called strike and challenged it. The pitch was ruled to be a ball upon review, and Henry-Malloy was awarded a walk.

Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford and Cardinals outfielder Victor Scott II challenged called strike threes in consecutive at-bats in the sixth, but both calls were confirmed to be correct.