Bryce Harper was ejected in the bottom of the third inning on Thursday night after completely incapacitating infamous umpire Angel Hernandez when Hernandez botched a call and struck out two to Harper when the bat barely left his shoulder.
If the calls to third base on a check swing could be measured, it might have been one of the worst in big league history.
There is no concrete way for a third or first base umpire to decide whether a player has swung. It is often based on intention. Sometimes it seems to be based on whether a player’s bat crossed the plate. Regardless of the definition, Harper didn’t offer a 3-2 slider from Pirates right-hander Luis Ortiz on the field.
“It’s just bad all around,” he said. “I’m in an at-bat against a guy I’ve never faced before. I get to 3-2 and hit a slider down and in. I’m obviously not there and haven’t even thought about it.” This situation. I took off my clothes and heard the reaction from the crowd and thought there was no way.
“Angel is in the middle of something again. It’s the same story, the same thing every year. I’ll probably get a letter from (MLB’s vice president of on-field operations) Michael Hill and be fined for being right again. It’s the same thing over and over again. It’s just not right.
Harper was angry after the call. He ran all the way to the third base line, gesticulating and yelling at Hernandez, appearing to say, among other things, “That’s bullshit—-” and “That’s so (bleeping) weak.”
To loud applause, Harper left the field and threw his helmet into the stands. It ended up with a small child and carried him for the rest of the game.
“I wish I could have hit a home run or done something else in the game to make their night,” he said.
The fact that it was Hernandez likely played a role in Harper’s reaction. Hernandez is notorious for missing calls and making quick calls, and he is almost universally disliked by players, managers, coaches and fans. Nowadays everything is measured and the data agree with the eye test of most.
It was the fourth time this season that Harper was ejected. It was thrown out by home plate umpire Alex Tosi two weeks ago in St. Louis after Tosi made a bad strike-two call that resulted in a Harper K. He was ejected for speaking out about a check swing call in June. He was given the spot in mid-May after Rockies reliever Jake Bird taunted the Phillies’ dugout and a subsequent argument resulted in both benches becoming vacant.
“I never want to be left out of a game,” Harper said. “That was our last home game of the regular season. Not all of these people will be able to afford tickets to a postseason game, it’s very hard to get a ticket. Being excluded from a game like this is not fun. This may be the last time they see me this year. I don’t like that and I don’t like putting the fans in that situation when I get thrown out in the third inning. This is a disappointment for everyone.”
Harper plays with the same passion as anyone in the big leagues. Thursday’s meeting between the Phillies and Pirates meant absolutely nothing in the standings, but when Harper is between the lines, he’s a different person.
“Everyone talks about how these games don’t mean that much, but they mean a winning mentality for every statistic, every game,” he said. “All of these bats are important. We can’t play forever and it’s not good to have one taken away from you.”
Harper made his first recording appearance. He’s hitting .295/.402/.502 this season. Although he had gone 166 career-long plate appearances without a home run entering the summer, his numbers are consistent with his total as a Phillie.
He should have more free time at Citi Field this weekend when the Phillies finish their season against the Mets. Thomson is giving his starters a break every day, as the Phils have already secured their specific spot as the top wild card. Bryson Stott, Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas had Thursday night off.
“I understand that you have to live up to a certain big league mentality,” Harper said, “but at the same time I think it’s wrong for a call that bad to happen. It’s just a bad situation. This is me.’ I’m going to get in trouble and I just don’t think it’s right.