Harper gets hit and then screams at the pitcher, a breakdown
What Happened
Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper steps into the batter's box in the bottom of the inning, his team trailing by one run. Harper, who has been limited to designated hitter duties due to a recent injury, looks to deliver for the Phillies as they fight to stay in playoff contention. On the mound is Blake Snell of the San Diego Padres. Snell and Harper have known each other since they were 10 years old, having grown up playing travel baseball on opposite coasts. The longtime rivals now face off in a high-stakes matchup between their playoff-contending teams. Snell starts Harper off with an off-speed pitch on the outside corner, which the umpire calls a ball. He then goes to his fastball, getting a called strike to even the count at 1-1. Harper fouls off the next fastball, bringing the count to 1-2. Snell continues to challenge Harper with high fastballs, but the Phillies slugger lays off a couple that miss the strike zone. The count runs full at 2-2 when Snell misses his location, drilling Harper in the left thumb with a wild inside fastball. Harper immediately drops to the ground in pain, clutching his injured hand. Snell is visibly distraught, realizing he has seriously hurt his longtime friend and rival. "God damn," Snell says, reacting to the frightening scene. As trainers attend to Harper, the Phillies star expresses his frustration, shouting at Snell, "Throw the pitch over the fucking plate!" However, Harper also acknowledges that he knows Snell did not intentionally hit him. "I know you weren't trying to do it," Harper says. "I know. It's my game, bro. I get it." Snell nods in understanding, tipping his cap to the crowd and telling the umpire, "That was a miss." The two players share a moment of mutual respect, despite the tense circumstances. The severity of Harper's thumb injury remains unknown, but the incident has left both teams and their fanbases shaken. Hopefully Harper can recover in time to rejoin the Phillies' playoff push, as the longtime rivals continue to battle for a spot in the postseason.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentThis breakdown is brought to you by my good friends over at DraftKings,
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We got Bryce Harper in the box against Blake Snell.
After the game, Bryce said that him and Snell have known each other
since they were 10 years old, which always blows my mind
that on the professional level, they play travel ball their whole lives.
But that's Las Vegas and Seattle, so you're covering the whole coast there.
These guys playing against each other that young.
Got to be pretty good.
Opens them up off speed outside.
That's a ball.
Harper's been half hurt.
He can't play the field.
He can only DH, but like the sign says behind him,
he is Philly's MVP from the DH spot this season.
That's a fastball, and the umpire says strike.
Now the count is 1-1, and Snell's going to go to the fastball again.
Harper, nice swing, blows it by him.
1-2, does he go off speed?
No, he's just going to keep going with that fastball at the top of the zone.
That's the formula he likes.
There's another one.
Did he swing?
Umpire says nah.
No, he didn't swing.
So what are you?
Throw now.
Change up?
No.
Curveball?
No.
Outside fastball again?
No.
Curveball?
No.
Inside fastball.
Here's why.
That's the blue zone.
High and inside.
Tough pitch to hit.
Tough pitch to locate.
The 2-2.
High and inside.
Oh, way too high and inside, and Harper's down,
and you can see Snell's not happy with himself,
not happy with the result, and feels a little horrible.
And Harper's like, you know, down, down.
And this is a scary sight for everyone that was watching this live,
and if you're squeamish, don't watch this replay because it's wild
how it just hits that left thumb flush.
I'm sure it felt like it was shattered,
and that looks like a weirdo version of Dax Shepard behind him.
But anyway, here's Snell's reaction.
Oh.
God damn.
Harper's in a ton of pain.
And now at this point, I always say you can't judge baseball players
for what they say on the field.
Because to be a high-level competitive athlete is to mean,
it means you're not being rational in the moment.
And then we try to judge them as if they have all their wits about them,
especially if you have what you consider season-ending injury.
So Harper's getting frustrated, getting frustrated, walking off.
It's all soaking and sinking in.
He thinks his thumb is fucked.
Look at that squeeze.
And he turns and he says, throw the pitch over the fucking plate.
I know you weren't trying to do it.
I know you weren't trying to do it.
Bruh.
Bruh.
And Snell's like, yo, yo, yo, yo.
You know I wasn't trying to.
And Harper says, I know.
I know.
It's my game, bro.
I get it.
I got you.
I got you.
I really, it's my game line.
I thought maybe he was saying it's part of the game.
Bro, I get it.
But it really looks like he says it's my game.
Because he points at himself, too.
So I don't know.
It could be in reference of like, yeah, pitching me high and inside.
Like, that's part of my.
Or just I play with passion and fire, dude.
And I'm going to get upset.
That's my game.
I don't know.
It's my game, bro.
I get it.
I think it's crazy in the midst of that, that Harper's able to, you know,
reel it back in and be like, I accept your apology.
I know it wasn't your fault.
I'm just fucking mad, dude.
And you have to allow me to be pretty mad.
But whatever.
It's not your fault.
But throw the pitch over the fucking plate.
And Snell tips his hat to the dugout, to the fans, or whoever's yelling at him.
And it's just like.
Guys, I feel bad.
I didn't mean to.
Turns to the ump and he says, that was a miss.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And there you go.
That's that.
Sucks for Harper.
Not fun for Snell either.
Hopefully Harper can come back before the Philly season is over.
By the calendar and by the standings.
Stay in contention.
And thank you to DraftKings, as always, for sponsoring the video.
Appreciate them.