Hours later, NBC Sports Philadelphia reported that Harper was still confused by his sudden exit.
DENVER — Three hours later, Bryce Harper was still confused about what happened and why it happened … and in no way believed it had actually happened.
Harper was removed from the game after striking out three pitches in the top of the first inning at Coors Field on Friday night. The second pitch that left-hander Ty Blatche threw to Harper was low and inside, but home plate umpire Brian Walsh called it a strike. Harper protested the strike, called time and said something to Walsh. Harper struck out swinging on the next pitch and continued the conversation after the half-inning ended.
“Harper stuck his cleats in his helmet while talking to Walsh. It wasn’t a violent collision and it didn’t change his demeanor. He plays very emotionally but this wasn’t one of those instances. He looked like a player trying to have a conversation with the umpire.”
About 20 seconds into the game, Walsh threw Harper, who responded with a shocked look, and coach Rob Thomson reprimanded him as well, making sure Harper didn’t get into any more trouble.
“I wasn’t that upset,” Harper said. “I stuck the spikes in my helmet, but it wasn’t because I was upset about the call. And I said to him, ‘Hey, I don’t think it was a strike, but just to be sure, tell me where it is.’ And he was like, ‘Huh?’ And I said, ‘No, where it is?’ And he kicked me out. I told him I just want to talk to you. No yelling or anything. Then (crew chief Vic Carapazza) came over and said what he wanted to say.
“Obviously it’s disappointing to get out in the first inning in Colorado. It’s disappointing. Maybe a double or a home run would have changed the game. I don’t know, but it’s disappointing that it happened. It shouldn’t have happened.”
The Phillies lost the game 3-2 in the 11th inning. The Phillies scored two runs in the top of the 5th on solo homers by Nick Castellanos and Edmundo Sosa, and with one out left, Jose Alvarado homered off pinch-hitting catcher Jacob Stallings to seal the win by one. The Rockies won the game in the 11th inning when Ezekiel Tovar singled off Gregory Soto with the bases loaded.
Outside of Sosa and Castellanos, the Phillies were four for 32 with no extra-base hits. Had Harper batted third in the order instead of Johan Rojas for the final 10 innings, the outcome might have been different.
“I think that John Tampane, Alan Porter, Pat Hoberg, even Vick at second base tonight, there are professionals in this league who are really good at what they do and understand it,” Harper said. “I don’t think No. 120 (Walsh’s umpire number) understood it. That’s the way it is. It’s unfortunate that we lost that game. If I’d been there maybe things would have turned out differently. Maybe not, but you never know what happens.”
Is it a kind of helplessness?
“100 percent,” he said, “because it’s not part of the game. I just didn’t think it was happening. I was sitting here thinking I had to be out there. You know when I scream and yell, I get angry sometimes and I show my emotions, but I wasn’t that upset about the whole situation. It’s still the first innings.”
Carapazza explained to reporters:
“Bryce kept arguing about balls and strikes and at the end of the day, the equipment violation was basically a big warning and if he kept blaming the pitch, Brian had to deal with it. That’s it, really.”
“… This is just a discussion about pitches and we will send a detailed report to the league tomorrow and go from there, but for us it was just a general balls and strikes discussion and that’s it.”
The Phillies fall to 37-15 after the loss and are six games behind the Braves in the NL East. They have lost just five games in the past four weeks by 1, 1, 1, 1 and 2 runs, including three in extra innings.
Losses happen. So do missed saves. It was Alvarado’s first run of the season. The Phillies didn’t play poorly, they just couldn’t get the hits, and Stallings was surprised when Alvarado threw a bad pitch.
“Anything can happen,” said Orion Kerkering, who retired five of the six batters he faced and held the Phillies to a one-run lead from the sixth through eighth innings. “I know my turn will come sooner or later. It’s a long season. That’s how baseball is.”
