This could have been way uglier than it was
Bryce Harper was involved in a scary incident Wedneday night at the plate.
Luckily, he is OK.
The Phillies star took a 97 mph pitch to the cheek while leading off the sixth inning of Philadelphia’s win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. He immediately left the game with a team trainer, though he did so under his own power.
The scene shook fans, but Harper has since taken to Instagram with a positive update.
“Everything feels good,” he said. “Everything came back good — CT (scan), all that kind of stuff. So, the face is still there so we’re all good! See you guys soon.”
Thank goodness.
Phillies manager Joe Girardi was tossed from the game shortly after Harper left after Didi Gregorius, the second batter of the inning, was struck by a pitch as well. Girardi believed the man behind the pitches, Genesis Cabrera, should have been ejected instead of both benches receiving warnings after the incident.
“(Cabrera) should be thrown out. I understand why they give the warnings but if a guy hits a guy in the face and a guy in the ribs, with two pitches, he’s gotta go, right?” Girardi told reporters after the game, via ESPN. “If you’re really protecting players, he’s got to go. Just for the safety of the players.”
It’s unclear if Harper will miss any time due to the injury, though if he does, it doesn’t sound like it would be for long.