Things got heated between the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants in their series finale on Wednesday afternoon, thanks to Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper.
With the Phillies up 2-0, Giants starting pitcher rookie Kyle Harrison got under Harper's skin in the top of the fourth with a pair of fastballs up and in. After the first heater buzzed him, Harper was visibly upset and barked something at Harrison. The second pitch came in the same location and hit the knob of Harper's bat, although it was ruled a hit-by-pitch at first.
Phillies, Giants clear benches after Bryce Harper buzzed by Kyle Harrison fastball
The Phillies dugout emptied as did the Giants, slowly at first, and even though the bullpens came all the way to home plate, it looked like cooler heads would prevail. That is until former Phillie and now Giants' hitting coach Pat Burrell lost his cool. Luckily, nothing came of it and the teams were separated.
Benches clear in The Bay pic.twitter.com/6ycCTGBVng
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) May 29, 2024
The umpires met and issued warnings to both dugouts in an attempt to defuse any further shenanigans. When play resumed, Harper grounded out to end the inning.
Ironically, today is the seven-year anniversary of Harper's charging of the mound against the Giants at Oracle Park. You may recall he tried to throw his helmet at San Francisco pitcher Hunter Strickland before the benches cleared and craziness ensued.
Harper's frustrations started in the first inning against the Giants
Harper's fourth-inning eruption on Wednesday was likely the result of a frustrating start to the game for the first baseman. After striking out in the top of the first, he demolished his lumber in the dugout.
In the bottom of the inning, he was again visibly rattled when Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez threw the ball into the first base line and Harper had to bail out without making the catch, pulling his arm out of the way of the runner just in time.
Harper has good reason to be frustrated, with his Phillies dropping the first two games of the series and four of their last five on this West Coast road trip. The Phillies will be glad to be hopping on a plane after the game and heading back to the friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park.