The Phillies Bryce Harper got ejected after a game against the Pirates on Thursday night, screaming over a strikeout call and firing his helmet into the stands in the midst of his club’s 3-2 loss to the Pirates. Turns out? He probably had a reason to blow a gasket.
Bryce Harper arguing with umpire Angel Hernandez | SCREENSHOT: ESPN/YouTube
The scenario involved two characters who are no strangers to controversy. One on hand? You had the ever-volatile and ultra-competitive Harper, who has a history of blowups on the field. Then, on the other side was MLB’s most controversial umpire – Angel Hernandez, who was working third base for this one.
So, it was the usual suspects here, and the end result turned out to be somewhat of a crime scene.
In the third inning, Bryce Harper was called out after he swung on a ball that was way down in the dirt. Harper checked his swing and tried to stop. And according to the replay, it looked like he actually did. But that didn’t matter to Hernandez, who called the strikeout.
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Harper almost immediately charged up the third line to start screaming at Hernandez, who stood by his original call, despite the fact the big screen replays were proving him wrong right over his shoulder. That only seemed to infuriate the two-time MVP even further. As his temper grew, he eventually pulled off his helmet and launched it into the stands.
The fallout is that Harper was ejected and will likely receive some kind of suspension or disciplinary action from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred at some point. Meanwhile, Hernandez will likely just go on doing what he’s been doing for years now: Being a lightning rod for situations like this.
Here is Hayden Dorfman, age 10, who caught the helmet Harper threw after he was ejected tonight. A few security guards approached him and told him Harper wanted to sign it.
He said Harper is his favorite player and added that this is “the best baseball game he’s ever been to” pic.twitter.com/uq4J3Ylhwf
— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) September 29, 2023
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The only real positive to come out of the story is the helmet made a nice souvenir for 10-year-old Phillie fan Hayden Dorfman who caught the helmet. And luckily? His favorite player is Bryce Harper.
As of Friday, Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies are now 89-70 and clinched a wild card spot for the playoffs. Even at 89-70, they are poised to make a serious postseason push this October is they can keep their heads. And their helmets.
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