Milwaukee Brewers fans held their breath Friday night as star right-hander Jacob Misiorowski exited a potential no-hitter early due to a hamstring cramp—but the team is optimistic the 6-foot-7 flamethrower avoided a serious injury.

Misiorowski was dealing in dominant fashion against the Washington Nationals, tossing 5⅓ hitless innings with eight strikeouts and just two walks. The 24-year-old's electric night came to an abrupt end after he uncorked a 98.9 mph fastball to James Wood. Following the pitch, Misiorowski caught the return throw from catcher William Contreras, then walked off the mound and signaled toward the dugout. After a brief discussion with manager Pat Murphy and trainer Brad Epstein, he exited the game.

"Just a hamstring cramp," Misiorowski said afterward. "Didn't want to push through it. Thought better to turn it over to the bullpen and let Aaron Ashby handle it."

The Brewers are cautiously optimistic about his status. "We feel pretty good about it," Murphy told reporters. "We're not going to test it right now because we're afraid he might cramp again. We'll see where he is tomorrow. We're very hopeful. He feels good about it. Hopeful that's all it was."

Misiorowski noted the discomfort started at the beginning of the sixth inning. "Probably about the last warmup pitch and then that whole first batter I had it," he explained. "It didn't really get terrible until that first pitch to Wood, and then it really grabbed. One of those things."

Ashby took over on the mound, but the combined no-hitter was broken up when Daylen Lile doubled to left field with one out in the seventh—a ball Milwaukee left fielder Blake Perkins nearly hauled in with a diving attempt.

Despite the early exit, Misiorowski's performance was historic in its own right. His 43 pitches clocked at 100 mph or more marked the third-highest total since pitch tracking began in 2008, trailing only Cincinnati's Hunter Greene (47 in 2022 and 44 in 2023).

The Brewers ultimately secured a 6-1 victory, but all eyes remain on Misiorowski's hamstring as the team awaits further evaluation. For now, both player and organization are breathing a sigh of relief that it appears to be just a cramp—and not something that could sideline one of baseball's most exciting young arms for long.