When Jacob Misiorowski recently walked into Brew Town Trading Co. in Greenfield, Wisconsin, he was just looking for a fun way to pass some time ripping packs of baseball cards.
But what happened defied just about every statistical probability in the collecting world. The Milwaukee Brewers’ rookie starting pitcher pulled a card featuring himself. This wasn’t just any base card, though — it was a numbered parallel limited to 25 copies, making it a genuine one-in-a-million moment.
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The Impossible Pull of a Rare Baseball Card
According to Mike Beiermeister’s original report for WTMJ-TV, the magic unfolded when assistant manager Tommy Rhyner invited Misiorowski to visit after connecting through social media. Rhyner knew The Miz enjoyed opening Pokemon packs, so bringing him in for some baseball products seemed like a natural progression.
Misiorowski spotted 2022 Bowman Draft packs on the shelves, a product he knew contained cards of himself. After opening two packs with standard results, the third pack delivered. Out came his own Bowman Orange Refractor, numbered to just 25 copies in existence.
“He was freaking out,” Rhyner said. “He had a true, genuine reaction, as anyone else does when they pull a card that they’re looking for, which is the best part about it.”
Jacob Misiorowski: From Rookie to All-Star
This moment resonates deeply because we can also appreciate just how quickly Misiorowski has ascended (and found success) in the big leagues. The 6-foot-7 right-hander has emerged as one of the Brewers’ most promising young hurlers after making an immediate impact upon getting promoted from Triple-A.
His rookie campaign has created plenty of buzz in Milwaukee. The hurler has helped the Brewers ascend to the top of the National League Central standings. He’s 4-1 with a 2.70 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 47 strikeouts in 33.1 innings of work. Despite the limited workload, he also earned his first All-Star selection.
It was controversial because he only had about 20-ish big-league innings under his belt. But it was revealed that MLB first asked “about a dozen” other hurlers to join midsummer classic festivities in Atlanta. They all declined, which led to Misiorowski getting asked.
The Collecting Community’s Dream Scenario
This story shows why card collecting has exploded in popularity among professional athletes. As Rhyner explained to WTMJ-TV, players regularly use pack opening as a pre-game ritual. “You see a lot of players just trying to rip some packs in the clubhouse before the game, just trying to keep the mood light among the other teammates,” he said.
The mathematical impossibility of Misiorowski’s pull adds to its significance. Finding any specific numbered parallel requires incredible luck, but discovering a rare card of yourself like he did sends things into overdrive.
Even more remarkable was Misiorowski’s decision to sign the card and donate it to the shop permanently. Despite its monetary value, he recognized that honoring this unlikely series of events was more important. Rhyner confirmed the card will never leave the store, becoming a shrine to one of collecting’s most improbable moments.
Why This Moment Matters Beyond the Hobby
Stories like Misiorowski’s capture why baseball card collecting continues to thrive. The combination of childhood nostalgia, statistical improbability, and human emotion creates narratives that resonate beyond typical sports coverage.
For Rhyner, this was a career-defining experience. “Top moment for me in this industry alone, much less just life in general. Never forget that moment,” he said. This shows why local card shops remain vital community hubs — because stuff like this can happen.
Misiorowski’s pull reminds us that even in our data-driven, analytical sports world, this type of experience still exists. Sometimes the universe delivers exactly what we need, wrapped in cardboard and protected by a penny sleeve.
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