'I love it': A generational pitching matchup excites fans of all ages
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Before any Brewers game at American Family Field, it's easy to spot different generations of fans lined up at the gates or grilling together in the parking lots. On Tuesday, however, the most noticeable generation gap was on the pitcher's mound.
More than 38,000 fans eagerly took in a game that matched up future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Brewers' young fireballer, Jacob Misiorowski.
Three generations of Brewers fans were in line outside the left field gate. Theresa Taylor was there with her twin daughters, Michelle and Theresa, and her two grandchildren.
"When I heard this matchup and we had the game, I was excited cause it's really good," Taylor said. "I've been watching Kershaw, and now with Miz coming in, he's fantastic. I hope he does just as well."
Misiorowski did indeed do well. In his six innings of work Tuesday, he struck out 12 batters and pumped fastballs that routinely topped 100 miles per hour.
A best-case scenario for Brewers fans is seeing Misiorowski have a career comparable to Kershaw's. Earlier this month, Kershaw became just the 20th pitcher in Major League Baseball history to record 3,000 career strikeouts, and he's only the fifth to have done it all on one team.
"He was the first pitcher that I ever saw that really kinda got me into the sport," Bryan Flores, a Dodgers fan from Grand Rapids, Michigan, said.
That was a common sentiment for Dodgers fans in their 20s showing up Tuesday in Kershaw jerseys. Misiorowski was six years old when Kershaw made his big-league debut in 2008.
"I remember being a young, 7-8-year-old, and just having him pitch and not really understanding fully how good he was," Nathan Bates, a Dodgers fan from San Diego, said.
Bates went to Tuesday's game with his dad, Todd. Flores attended with his mom. As adults, baseball is one of the bonds they still have with their parents.
Tuesday's marquee pitching matchup helped keep fans in the present.
"You know, it's emotional when you really think about it cause [my parents] getting older and whatnot," Flores said. "And they won't be able to go to all the games with you as you're going, so it's just enjoying the time we have together now."