Brewers Kyle Harrison Officially Is in CC Sabathia Territory

The Milwaukee Brewers lefty is having a season for the ages so far.

Apr 11, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) delivers pitch against Washington Nationals in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers couldn't ask for much more than they have already gotten out of young lefty Kyle Harrison so far this season.

Milwaukee acquired Harrison from the Boston Red Sox this past offseason in the Caleb Durbin deal and the expectations weren't massive coming into the campaign. He entered the 2026 season with just 42 games of big league experience under his belt. He pitched in 39 games as a member of the San Francisco Giants and had a 4.48 ERA in 182 2/3 innings pitched.

After Boston acquired Harrison from the Giants in the Rafael Devers trade, it certainly didn't use him correctly. Harrison was acquired by Boston last June and he ended up pitching in just three games for the team and had a 3.00 ERA. Boston's rotation was littered with injuries left and right, and yet it didn't give Harrison a shot until late in the campaign. Then, the Red Sox traded him away.

Kyle Harrison Has Been Fantastic For The Brewers

May 20, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) throws the ball against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

With Milwaukee, Harrison has looked like a legit Cy Young Award contender. He was brilliant on Wednesday night and now has a 1.77 ERA on the season in nine starts across 45 2/3 innings pitched. He has been so good that he has brought back memories of Hall of Famer CC Sabathia, who recently earned his spot on the Brewers’ Wall of Honor. Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel shared on X that Harrison's 1.77 ERA in nine starts is actually the second-lowest for a member of the organization since Sabathia had a 1.60 ERA after his first nine starts with the franchise.

"The only pitcher with a lower ERA than Kyle Harrison (1.77) through his first 9 starts with the Brewers is CC Sabathia, who had a 1.60 ERA (lol) with 5 CG and 2 shutouts (lmao, even) in 2008," Hogg wrote.

Sabathia was an anomaly and yet Harrison isn't that far behind. The big difference between Harrison and Sabathia is the innings pitched. Harrison has 45 2/3 innings pitched under his belt after his first nine starts with the club, which is a very normal amount in today's baseball. Back in 2008, Sabathia had 73 innings under his belt after his first nine starts with the club. Which, even for the standards for pitchers back then, was ridiculous.

This is just another example why fans can be fired up about Harrison. He's pitching at another level right now. The run that Sabathia had in Milwaukee was special. If you can have your name mentioned alongside it, that's special too.