MILWAUKEE – Kyle Harrison took the mound to warm up for the sixth inning of Wednesday's 4-2 Brewers win over the Pirates with history in his sights. In an electric return from the injured list at American Family Field, the 24-year-old left-hander had struck out each of the last eight batters he’d faced, leaving him two shy of the all-time Major League record for consecutive strikeouts.
Harrison never got a chance to challenge that mark. After several warmup throws, he called for the athletic trainer and left the game because of cramping in both calves.
File that diagnosis under the category of “it could have been worse” for the Brewers, who didn’t pry Tarik Skubal from the Tigers before the Trade Deadline, but did get Harrison back from nearly a month on the injured list with a left forearm strain, and did trade for a starter in the Cardinals’ Dustin May, who is set to start Thursday’s series finale against Pittsburgh.
May will have a chance to secure a series victory after Christian Yelich and Andrew Vaughn delivered run-scoring hits off Pirates ace Paul Skenes in a three-run fourth inning, and William Contreras homered for insurance in a victory that kept Milwaukee (71-43) alone atop MLB’s overall standings.
Still, Harrison’s abrupt exit was a disappointing end to what had been a stellar return to action for the lefty, who was pitching in the Majors for the first time since July 8. He didn’t show any signs of rust, navigating a 1-2-3 first inning on nine pitches and still cruising when he struck out the final two batters of the third.
Harrison was just getting started. Harrison then went three-up, three-down with three strikeouts in the fourth inning and again in the fifth, giving him eight straight strikeouts. The Major League record is 10, set by Hall of Famer Tom Seaver with the Mets in 1970, matched by the Phillies’ Aaron Nola in June 2021 and then matched again by the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes less than two months later against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Harrison was at 69 pitches as he began warming up for the sixth, so he had plenty of room to work with as he sought to join Burnes & Co. Harrison threw 68 pitches in a rehab start for High-A Wisconsin last week and was poised to push beyond that mark in his return to Milwaukee’s rotation.