Harrison ‘feels great’ physically despite career-high workload in MLB

Originally published by NBC Sports Bay Area: Harrison says he’s “feeling great” physically despite career-high workload in MLB

SAN FRANCISCO — Giants left-hander Kyle Harrison tripled his previous MLB career-high in innings pitched this season, but the young left-hander is excited to finish 2024 strong.

Harrison gave up six hits, three earned runs, walked two and struck out five over five innings in San Francisco’s 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Oracle Park on Tuesday night.

With the Giants losing three straight games by one run, Harrison pitched five complete innings for the first time since July 26, marking an encouraging comeback after giving up eight runs in 8 1/3 innings in his previous two starts.

Harrison detailed how the change in routine has helped him recover physically and remains optimistic he can finish the season strong as San Francisco pursues an MLB playoff berth.

“I think there were times when I wasn’t feeling too good, but I’ve made some improvements with my routine so I feel great,” Harrison said. “I felt good today and I’m just going to keep getting better. There’s still a lot of season left so I just need to stay focused and keep working hard.”

After Tuesday’s appearance, Harrison was just two innings away from tying his professional career record of 113 innings, which he set while pitching in the minor leagues for Eugene and Richmond during the 2022 season.

The Giants are 3.5 games out of the final National League wild-card spot in the hotly contested MLB playoff race, so Harrison’s availability every fifth day will be crucial if San Francisco has any chance of advancing in the postseason.

For now, there’s optimism that the young left-hander can do that, but nothing Harrison and the rest of the pitching staff does going forward will matter unless the Giants’ lineup wakes up.

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