MILWAUKEE (Interstat) — On a crisp Thursday evening that began with a jolt of optimism for the visitors, the Milwaukee Brewers methodically and then explosively dismantled the Chicago White Sox, launching their 2026 campaign with a commanding 14-2 victory before a sellout crowd of 43,001 at American Family Field.

The game’s narrative flipped decisively in a chaotic and protracted bottom of the second inning, transforming a narrow deficit into a lead the Brewers would only expand. White Sox starter Shane Smith, who took the loss, had already surrendered a first-inning solo home run to Chicago’s Chase Meidroth but navigated a scoreless first. He then recorded the first out of the second before the foundation crumbled.

Smith lost his command, issuing a walk to Sal Frelick. A costly catcher’s interference call on Edgar Quero put two men on, and another walk loaded the bases. Joey Ortiz’s soft single to right plated the Brewers’ first run, but Smith appeared poised to limit the damage after a strikeout. With two outs, William Contreras stepped in and cleared the bases, lacing a three-run double down the left-field line to turn a 2-0 hole into a 4-2 Brewers advantage. That sequence was the game’s pivotal moment, sapping Chicago’s early momentum and handing control to Milwaukee for good.

From there, the Brewers’ offense operated with relentless efficiency, capitalizing on White Sox control issues. The staff combined to throw 65 strikes against 53 balls, but a parade of relievers after Smith’s early exit struggled to find the zone, leading to 11 Milwaukee walks. The Brewers added two in the fourth on an RBI single from Ortiz and a run-scoring hit from Christian Yelich. In the fifth, Frelick punctuated the onslaught with a two-run homer off Tyler Gilbert.

Milwaukee broke it open completely in the later innings, scoring three in the sixth on a combination of hits and walks, and then capping the afternoon with a three-run blast from Jake Bauers in the seventh, his first of the season, to establish the final 14-2 margin.

The story for Milwaukee, however, began and ended with starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski. The winning pitcher was dominant, striking out 11 White Sox batters over five strong innings. He allowed just two hits and one earned run—the first-inning homer to Meidroth—while walking one. His overpowering performance stabilized the game after the early hiccup and set the tone for a dominant evening by the Brewers’ pitching staff. Relievers Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, and Grant Anderson each contributed scoreless frames, with Hall striking out three in the seventh.

Chicago’s offense was stifled after the first, managing only four hits total. Beyond Meidroth’s leadoff homer, their only other run came on a solo shot from Munetaka Murakami in the ninth inning off position player-turned-pitcher Luis Rengifo, who closed out the game. The White Sox struck out 18 times as a team.

The victory gives the Brewers a 1-0 start as they commence their pursuit of a fourth consecutive National League Central title. The White Sox, under new management and looking to rebuild, fall to 0-1. The two teams will continue their opening series on Saturday and Sunday in Milwaukee before both embark on road trips.

According to pregame projections, the result was an upset in terms of scoreline but not in winner. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a narrow 1-0 White Sox victory, though its ELO system gave Milwaukee a 63.7% probability to win. The Brewers covered the pregame spread of -1.5 with ease, but the combined 16 runs dramatically soared over the set over/under line of 8.

The game time was 3 hours, 6 minutes.