Bryce Harper, the renowned Philadelphia Phillies’ star, was ejected from Sunday’s game after charging at the Rockies’ dugout following the last out of the top of the seventh inning. The incident set off an altercation that cleared both teams’ benches and bullpens. Harper appeared to have responded to Colorado reliever Jake Bird, who clapped a hand against his glove and said something towards the Philadelphia dugout.
Harper expressed his emotions about the incident, saying, “I get emotion. I understand getting fired up for an inning and stuff like that. But once you make it about a team or make it about yourself and the other team, that’s when I’ve kind of got a problem with it.” Rockies catcher Elias Diaz initially restrained Harper, and Phillies third-base coach Dusty Wathan prevented the two-time National League MVP from entering a group of players and coaches gathered near the first-base line.
Harper later explained his reaction, saying, “After that point, I went out there just to go. J.T. [Realmuto] was right behind me. Taijuan [Walker], same thing. I appreciate my teammates for coming out with me and doing that. It was the heat of the moment. Once we got out there, [Bird] just flew into the dugout and went away. Nobody really saw him after he did what he did.”
Phillies manager Rob Thomson supported Harper’s reaction by saying, “A guy yelling in your dugout? That shouldn’t happen. Flat-out, that shouldn’t happen.” Harper, who returned to the NL champion Phillies on May 2 after recovering from Tommy John surgery, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in the game.
Meanwhile, Bird, who was also ejected from the game, claimed that his comments were not directed at anyone in particular. He said, “I get a little emotional on the mound sometimes. It’s a good team. It was a big moment. I got a little emotional out there. They took exception to it.” He further added, “He’s a great player. He plays with emotion. I love that he plays with emotion. He’s a player I look up to.”
Thomson had been thrown out the previous inning after arguing with plate umpire Ryan Wills over a called third strike on Kyle Schwarber. However, he expressed his pride in Harper for protecting his teammates and standing up for them. Thomson said, “You never want to see your star players get thrown out of a game, but he’s protecting his teammates. That’s what this group does. They protect each other, they fight for each other and I’m proud of them for it. He’s an emotional guy, and he was sticking up for his teammates.”
Leave a Reply