The Philadelphia Phillies had just finished off a 7-1 homestand and had all the momentum to tackle their second West Coast trip of the season. They still sported the best record in baseball and were looking to take care of business yet again against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.
That soured quickly with a bizarre turn as Bryce Harper was ejected after just one at-bat.
Harper got an 0-1 sinker inside, off the plate called a strike. Harper was visibly upset and the following pitch swung and missed at a curveball in the dirt to strike out. After a brief conversation with recently called up minor league umpire Walsh after the inning ended, Harper was tossed.
ICYMI:
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) May 25, 2024
Bryce Harper was thrown out of the game after the top of the first inning 😑 pic.twitter.com/40l2PnkXsB
Bryce Harper blasts ump who didn't understand the assignment
Not quite the thick skin of a MLB umpire, as Harper seemed to keep his cool throughout the exchange. This is what he had to say to the umpire after the missed call.
“Obviously, I spiked my helmet, but that wasn’t from frustration over the call,” Harper said after the 3-2 extra-innings loss, per MLB.com's Manny Randhawa. “I just asked , ‘Hey, that strike, where do you have it? Just so I know.’ … And then he threw me out, and I just told him, ‘I just wanted to have a conversation with you.’ I didn’t cuss or scream or anything, really.”
This accounts for Harper's 21st career ejection and an odd one at that. Harper has been around plenty of memorable umpires through his 13 years in the big leagues. If Walsh was trying to make a name for himself with the ump show we got at Coors Field, it didn't seem to carry over to Harper with his humorous reaction when talking about major league umpires in today's game.
Bryce Harper on being able to talk to umpires:
— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) May 25, 2024
“Yeah, I feel like John Tumpane, Alan Porter, Pat Hoberg, even Vic (Carapazza). There's professionals in this league and there's guys that are really good at their job and they understand it. I guess (no.) 120 didn't understand it.” pic.twitter.com/BNmJiHzF5C
A comment about naming him (no.) 120 left NBC Sports Philadelphia's Amy Fadool and Ben Davis in tears after the post-game press conference. It was needed comic relief after an unusual and frustrating loss in extras. The Phillies' record now sits at 37-15 — still the best record in MLB.
Manager Rob Thomson also gave his thoughts on what transpired and expanded on the ejection as being "kind of a quick trigger."
“That’s baseball,” he said. “You’ve got to play better to overcome situations, umpires and bad hops or whatever. So, we’ve got to play better.”
The Phillies lacked overall offense throughout the game which certainly exaggerated the feel of the missed calls. The Phillies will look to bounce right back like they have been doing all year long with the second of three games against Colorado on Saturday night.