The Philadelphia Phillies finished their series with the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday afternoon. It was supposed to be a typical West Coast day game to finish off the series. However, the road-weary, gray-outfitted team from Philly received a scare that could’ve derailed the hottest team in Major League Baseball.
Phillies Third Baseman, Alec Bohm, stood in the on-deck circle awaiting his turn to face the San Francisco Giants hurler, Kyle Harrison, in the fourth inning. He watched in horror as a fastball missed arguably the team’s most important batter in the lineup. Then came the second one in almost the same place as the one just before it.
For a moment, it felt like a nightmare that Philadelphia endured a few seasons ago when they lost Bryce Harper for an extended period which caused all kinds of issues with the Phillies lineup. How did the star respond?
Philadelphia Phillies Star Frustrations Boil Over In First Inning
Bryce Harper, the first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, appeared irritated early in the afternoon. Harper has made a career out of being an All-Star, and he holds himself to that standard. Practically speaking, any error is unacceptable, and occasionally Harper’s feelings come through on the field. Harper appeared to be laboring from a swing following a strikeout in his at-bat against Kyle Harrison in the first inning. It was mentioned on Philadelphia Phillies television during their broadcast. Before taking the field for the bottom of the first, the All-Star battered a bat in the dugout during the commercial break.
Starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez attempted a short throw into the dirt, but Bryce Harper was unable to retrieve the ball, which skipped toward the Phillies dugout. After the play, the All-Star lay down for a little while, causing fear throughout the Tri-State region. Harper continued to play.
Fourth Inning Fastball Is Scary Reminder Of 2021 Injury
In the 4th inning, Harper took a pair of fastballs up and in close to his chin from Harrison. The benches cleared starting with the visiting Phillies promptly followed by the hometown Giants. Ultimately, the situation resolved itself after some minimum pushing and shoving. The game resumed with Philadelphia defeating San Francisco by a 6-1 score.
Harper had an RBI as the game came to a close, 1-5. Nonetheless, during the post-match press conference, the superstar made some direct remarks. “It wasn’t his intention,” Harper stated. “I just want to avoid getting struck in the face. It’s not fun when you get struck in the face, man. That’s all there is to it.
Given his recent background, it makes sense that Bryce Harper is sensitive to getting hit by baseballs during at-bats. Harper was not significantly hurt when Genesis Cabrera struck him in the face in 2021 at a speed of 97 miles per hour. In 2022, he was unlucky to escape the injury bug when a fastball shattered his thumb, forcing the Philadelphia Phillies star to miss two months of play. I love a good, fun fact, as you may have noticed if you’ve followed me. This item of information on the fourth-inning meeting comes from Philly Voice:
A fun fact: Harrison made his MLB debut last August at Citizens Bank Park. In the first inning of his first major league outing, he allowed a two-run home run, the first earned runs of his career. That homer was hit by… Bryce Harper.
Harper’s Odd History With San Fran… On The Same Date?
Strangely enough, there has previously been a meeting between Bryce Harper and the San Francisco Giants on May 29th between the white lines. In 2017, Bryce Harper was still an outfield player for the Washington Nationals, nearly ten years ago. Giants reliever Hunter Strickland sent a fastball to Harper’s hip, and the batter charged the mound.
The sportsmen already shared a past. In the 2014 National League Division Series, Harper hit a home run off Strickland that included a staredown and touches the irregularly shaped home plate and the three white, rectangular bases. Technically speaking, if you want to go all nerdy, it is a “isosceles right pentagon.” Go kill that person with that one!
On May 29, 2017, Strickland had his first chance to exact payback for the playoff abuse he had received at the hands of Washington Nationals sensation Max Scherzer. To avoid another Bay Area drama, Major League Baseball should really just refrain from sending Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies to San Francisco over the first two months of the upcoming ten or so seasons.
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