Philadelphia Phillies’ star Bryce Harper got kicked out of the game after he struck out in the initial inning of their 3-2, 11-inning loss against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.
Harper swung and missed on a 0-2 curveball thrown by Ty Blach, then he dropped his bat and tossed his helmet aside. Shortly after, he exchanged some words with plate umpire Brian Walsh and was promptly ejected from the game.
Despite the ejection being Harper’s 21st in his Major League career, both Harper and Phillies manager Rob Thomson attempted to plead their case with no success. Harper had previously called for a timeout after taking a close 0-1 sinker that seemed low and inside.
Speaking on the incident, Harper mentioned, “I wasn’t really that upset. Obviously, I spiked my helmet, but that was a frustration from the call. And then I just kind of asked him, ‘Hey, wait, that was a strike, but where do you have it?’ I just wanted to have a conversation with you. Again, didn’t cuss and scream or anything really big.
That’s kind of it. I’m not trying to get thrown out of the first inning in Colorado. So it’s a bummer, man. I could have doubled in the gap or homered, and the game’s changed, right?”
As for his performance this season, Harper has maintained a batting average of .279 with 12 home runs, 37 RBIs, and an OPS of .929.
Explaining the situation, crew chief Vic Carapazza stated to a pool reporter, “What led to the ejection was that Bryce Harper was clearly upset about the pitches. Brian gave him a long leash. He kept him in the game, and Bryce just kept arguing balls and strikes. At the end of the day, equipment violation is basically a big warning, and if you continue to talk about pitches, then Brian had to handle it.”
Following Harper’s ejection, third baseman Alec Bohm moved to first base, Whit Merrifield transitioned to third base from left field, Johan Rojas stepped in as center fielder, and Cristian Pache shifted from center field to left field.
