June 26, 2022
The Phillies' season may have ended on an errant 97 MPH fastball from Padres pitcher Blake Snell. In the top of the fourth inning on Saturday night, Snell's pitch was off target and hit reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper in the hand. Harper immediately went down, writhing in pain:
Scary sight in San Diego. Bryce Harper had to leave the game after taking a pitch off his hand. pic.twitter.com/uDeTOiOqjT
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 26, 2022
Yeah, not good. It was so bad that Phillies radio broadcaster Michael Bourn exclaimed, "Ooooo, s***t!" after the pitch hit Harper. He speaks for the entire Delaware Valley. To say this would hurt the chances of the Phillies' continuing their June pace and vying to be in the playoff mix would be an understatement. For all the Phillies fans out there, this absolutely sucks.
Harper was understandably angry in the immediate aftermath. It's clear that he knows this means he'll miss a significant chunk of time. While steaming, he did make sure to accept Snell's apology as he was leaving the field of play, saying, "I know you weren't trying to do it."
Harper and Snell exchanged words. Bryce knew it wasn't intentional pic.twitter.com/9kpJI3LCgT
— Brodes Media (@BrodesMedia) June 26, 2022
An MRI after the game confirmed that Harper has a fractured left thumb. It has yet to be determined whether he'll have surgery, as that type of procedure would likely end his 2022 season. It's been a rough year for Harper with injuries, as he's still dealt with that UCL tear in his elbow that has prevented him from playing the field for a couple of months now.
Despite all of that, Harper's impact on this team has still been incredible:
Bryce Harper’s last 162 games before tonight:
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) June 26, 2022
42 HR
55 doubles
99 extra base hits
.324/.420/.643/1.063
290 times reaching base
17 stolen bases
6.0 Win Probability Added
There’s no replacing that.
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