WASHINGTON — Jacob Misiorowski did not realize he had a no-hitter intact. Only that he was finding his groove against the Washington Nationals − just as his right hamstring began to grab in the sixth inning.
Misiorowski, perhaps the premium fireballer in this era of unprecedented velocity in Major League Baseball, exited his Friday, May 1 start at Nationals Park with a right hamstring cramp, a malady the Milwaukee Brewers hope is just a mild detour during what's shaping up to be a special season.
Misiorowski struck out eight Nationals in 5⅓ shutout innings of their 6-1 victory, a night that took a very dark turn for Brewers fans when The Miz paused his dominant outing and motioned for head athletic trainer Brad Epstein to come to the mound.
Misiorowski had just struck out the last four batters − needing only 11 pitches to punch out the side in the fifth − and was sitting on a reasonable 85 pitches when he was removed. His season high was 101 pitches, so a solo no-hitter was possibly out of the question at that point.
So a night that was undeniably dominant teetered on a spectrum between historic and disastrous for Milwaukee. And in the end, the diagnosis felt like a sigh of relief.
"We feel pretty good about it," said Brewers manager Pat Murphy, who lost starter Brandon Woodruff to the injured list with shoulder inflammation earlier Friday. "We’re not going to test it right now, because we’re afraid he might cramp again. We’re very hopeful. He feels good about it. Hopefully that’s all it was.
"If it’s more than that? We’ve had a few of those the last few days."
Misiorowski, who leads the major leagues in strikeouts (59 in 38 innings), strikeout percentage (37.2%) and whiff percentage (39.5%), had just elicited a swinging strike from Nationals leadoff batter James Wood on a 98.9 mph fastball when Epstein and Murphy visited the mound.
After conferring, Misiorowski was removed from the game and replaced by Aaron Ashby, who an inning earlier knew a no-hitter was brewing, yet had forgotten amid the rush to enter the game.
Misiorowski did not learn he'd just departed a no-hit bid until he was receiving treatment in the training room and heard mention of it on the broadcast.
Ashby retired the final two batters in the sixth, but Daylen Lile broke up the combined no-hitter with a one-out double in the bottom of the seventh.
At 24, Misiorowski is just beginning. And Ashby figures there will be many more nights like this.
"He’s truthfully got the stuff and the opportunity to do that every night, which is pretty special," says Ashby. "There’s not a lot of guys who basically have the chance to do what he does every night. If he can be efficient, his stuff is so good."
Misiorowski, a 6-foot-7, 200-pounder, threw 43 pitches between 100 and 103 mph against the Nationals, striking out eight and walking two. Fifty-four of his 85 pitches were at least 98 mph, including a slider clocked at 98.4 mph.
He came out of the gate firing, averaging 101.9 mph on his fastball in the first inning. That's the fastest average fastball velocity by a starting pitcher in any single inning of any game in the pitch tracking era (since 2008), according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
"It felt like one of the best nights of the year so far, so there’s that positive on the night," Misiorowski said. "Hopefully, that goes into the next start."
Misiorowski spent a stint on the injured list last August when he was diagnosed with a left tibia contusion, yet returned shortly thereafter and pitched through the playoffs for Milwaukee. And he was also removed from his major league debut with a no-hitter intact through five innings when he suffered a freak ankle injury throwing a pitch in the sixth.
He and Murphy both downplayed this malady, though any prognosis or assurance he'll make his next start won't come until he wakes up Saturday and tests out the hamstring.
Misiorowski lowered his ERA to 2.84 and his WHIP to 1.00, on a night he was actually more dominant the second time through the order, retiring the last 11 batters he faced.
"Everything right where I wanted it," he said.
At least until the hamstring barked. Even still, losing a no-hitter, but winning the game and apparently surviving an injury scare is a net positive for one of the game's most fascinating figures.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski removed from no-hitter with apparent injury
