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Kyle Harrison injury update: What happened to Brewers pitcher during Pirates game? Early exit denies historic night
Kyle Harrison struck out eight straight Pirates in his first start off the injured list, putting himself within reach of an MLB strikeout record.
The Milwaukee Brewers faced the Pittsburgh Pirates in the decisive game of their three-game series on Wednesday, but what looked like a memorable return for Kyle Harrison was cut short by an untimely injury scare.
What happened to Kyle Harrison?
Harrison’s outing ended before the sixth inning after he appeared to suffer an injury. The Brewers later confirmed that Harrison exited because of cramps affecting both calves.
Brewers insider Adam McCalvy shared the update on X, "Kyle Harrison left the game with cramping in both calves, the Brewers said. This has been the season of cramping."
The 24-year-old had already returned to the mound for his warm-up pitches before the sixth inning but soon called over a trainer after showing visible discomfort. Chad Patrick replaced him and stretched Milwaukee's strikeout streak to nine straight batters before issuing a walk to Ronny Simon.
Harrison flirts with history
Making his first major league start since coming off the injured list, Harrison dominated the Pirates' lineup early, striking out eight consecutive batters across the third, fourth and fifth innings to put himself on the verge of making MLB history.
Before leaving the game, Harrison had moved within two strikeouts of matching the MLB record of 10 consecutive strikeouts, currently shared by Tom Seaver (1970), Aaron Nola (2021), and Corbin Burnes (2021).
He finished his outing with five innings pitched, allowing one hit, no earned runs, one walk, and recording 10 strikeouts on 69 pitches.
Impressive comeback season
Wednesday's appearance marked Harrison's first big league start since July 8, after spending time on the injured list with left forearm extensor tendinopathy. Prior to his return, he made one rehab appearance last week, throwing 68 pitches over 5⅔ scoreless innings.
The injury setback interrupted what had been a breakout campaign for the former top prospect, who had struggled with consistency during his first three seasons in the majors.
Harrison joined Milwaukee during the offseason in a trade with the Boston Red Sox that centered around infielder Caleb Durbin. Despite missing roughly a month, Harrison has remained one of Milwaukee's most productive starters this season, trailing only Jacob Misiorowski in overall value.
Therefore, the Brewers are likely to be encouraged that his early exit was attributed to cramping rather than a more serious issue, even if it denied him a realistic chance to make history.
