Milwaukee Brewers fans held their breath Friday night as starter Jacob Misiorowski exited early with an apparent injury—despite pitching a no-hitter through nearly six innings against the Washington Nationals.
The 22-year-old right-hander was electric from the first pitch, keeping Nationals batters off balance and off the basepaths. But after delivering a pitch in the sixth inning, Misiorowski immediately signaled for the training staff. Manager Pat Murphy and the team's medical team rushed to the mound, ultimately removing him from the game with what was diagnosed as right hamstring tightness.
Fortunately, the injury doesn't appear to be serious, and the Brewers' bullpen and offense stepped up in a big way. Reliever Aaron Ashby took over and kept the no-hit bid alive into the sixth inning before surrendering a hit. Still, Milwaukee's early offensive explosion provided plenty of cushion, and the Brew Crew cruised to a 6-1 victory.
The scoring started in the very first frame. Leadoff man Garrett Mitchell cracked a double, advanced to third, and scored on a passed ball by Nationals catcher Drew Millas. In the third inning, William Contreras delivered an RBI single to bring home David Hamilton, pushing the lead to 2-0.
The Brewers really broke things open in the fifth. Brice Turang and Contreras led off with singles, and Jake Bauers walked to load the bases. Luis Rengifo grounded into a force out that scored Turang, making it 3-0. Then Tyler Black doubled to left, plating Contreras and extending the lead to 4-0.
The Nationals finally got on the board in the seventh when Brady House's RBI groundout scored CJ Abrams. But Milwaukee answered back in the eighth. Sal Frelick singled, Blake Perkins reached on a fielder's choice, and an error by second baseman Nasim Nunez allowed Frelick to move to second. David Hamilton then laid down a bunt single to load the bases. With two outs, Contreras came through again with a two-run single to right, scoring Frelick and Perkins to put the game out of reach.
From a dominant start to a resilient finish, the Brewers showed the depth and grit that makes them a dangerous team all season long. And while Misiorowski's early exit was a scare, fans can breathe easy knowing this young star appears to have dodged a serious setback.