A star player’s strikeout on Sunday brought a new twist to the same old ejection we’ve seen in many baseball games. The Philadelphia Phillies’ $400 million man, outfielder Bryce Harper, struck out looking in the fourth inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox. But his immediate argument didn’t result in an ejection.
It was only after Harper went back to the clubhouse to watch a replay of the pitch and confirm that it was well outside that he returned and barked more at home-plate umpire Gabe Morales.
Morales was having none of it and ejected Harper — and then Phillies manager Gabe Kapler — in what became a 6-3 Phillies loss.
Bryce Harper and Gabe Kapler are mad.
Also, MLB is starting to silence these hot mics … jerks.#Phillies #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/SrFmWdQobu
— Greatest Show on Dirt (@greatestondirt) September 15, 2019
Delayed anger
According to MLB.com, Harper said he initially turned around and said, “Hey, that’s not a strike” to Morales. The umpire, however, merely glared at him.
Harper decided Morales might be right and went back to the dugout. But after confirming the call was bad on a monitor, he returned and screamed an expletive at the umpire in the middle of Rhys Hoskins’ at-bat later in the inning. Morales immediately turned and ejected Harper.
“I came back up and just said, ‘It’s not close,’” Harper said, according to MLB.com. “Then he tossed me. Usually if I say, ‘It’s not close’ I usually don’t get tossed right away and I kind of shut up. I say my piece, I shut up and I stay in the game.
“You never want to get thrown out. After saying that, I didn’t think I was going to get tossed. I just didn’t, plain and simple. If you keep talking, keep saying stuff, you walk the edge. Some umpires don’t take it, and he wasn’t going to take it today.”
Bryce Harper and Gabe Kapler tossed from Game
Kapler goes nuts on Umpire
#Phillies #BOSvsPHI pic.twitter.com/wkjnC1GBdT
— David Malandra Jr (@David_Malandra) September 15, 2019
Desperate times
With the loss, the Phillies fell 4.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs for the final playoff spot in the National League. They’ll need a miracle run over their final 14 games — think 11-3 or better — to have a chance to catch them.
Harper, of course, is the focal point of the lineup and the team after signing a big contract, and he’ll need to get hot too. Of course, that also means avoiding any more untimely ejections.
ICYMI: Bryce Harper had a message Sunday for umpire Gabe Morales. “You have to be better.” The same, of course, is true for #Phillies, whose odds of making the playoffs are now miniscule. Story, via @phillyinquirer: https://t.co/0WIC0Zs733
— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) September 16, 2019
