April 29, 2021
Bryce Harper is somehow doing okay after he was hit in the face with a 97 mph fastball during the Phillies' 5-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.
Unfazed, the Phillies' star outfielder took to social media to reassure fans that he was feeling fine after a CT scan and evaluation at the hospital found no serious injuries to his face.
"Everything feels good," Harper said. "Everything came back good. CT [scan], all that kind of stuff. So face is still there. So we're all good. See you guys soon."
The biggest W tonight. 👏
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 29, 2021
(via @bryceharper3 on IG) pic.twitter.com/WYH1wC8MnK
Harper had to exit Wednesday night's game after he was drilled in the face with the first pitch in the top of the sixth inning by left-handed relief pitcher Génesis Cabrera.
Despite some minor bleeding and being knocked down by the pitch, Harper was able to walk off the field under his own power.
At first glance, it looked like the pitch may have left Harper with one or more broken bones in his face. Instead, the Phillies dodged a major bullet and will not have to worry about Harper missing much time. Harper is not in the lineup for the series finale Thursday afternoon.
Fans took to social media to send Harper good wishes and applaud the Phillies star for being able to walk off the field under his own power and not suffer any serious injuries to his face.
That fastball Bryce Harper took to the face was nasty. Hope he is ok.
— jairoso (@jairosphotos) April 29, 2021
Glad Bryce Harper is alright after getting nailed in the face with that ball. Dude is way too talented to be taken out!!
— Bailey Ballenger (@BaileyBlazeYT) April 29, 2021
Captain America shield doesn’t have anything on Bryce Harper face ...
— Stimmy Turner (@Ay0Yay) April 29, 2021
Bryce harper took that fastball to the face like a champ @bryceharper3 you the man get well. #Phillies
— Ryan Nixon (@therealnix_bs) April 29, 2021
Bryce Harper lucky to get out of that one without his face broken, scary stuff
— Lordbyrum (@LordByrum) April 29, 2021
Bryce Harper got hit in the face with a 97 mph fastball tonight and came out ok
— Matt Bacon (@baconsbits_) April 29, 2021
How does that even happen
Not even 97 to the face could slow down Bryce Harper’s Instagram game #respect
— Connor Carson (@ConnorCarson__) April 29, 2021
That Bryce Harper / 97 mph fastball to the face was insane
— GT (@R0b0tDAD) April 29, 2021
The Harper hit-by-pitch wasn't the only drama that unfolded during the top of the sixth inning, however.
Shortstop Didi Gregorius was hit in the ribs by Cabrera on the very next pitch. Gregorius was able to stay in the game, but both teams were warned by the umpires that future hit-by-pitches would result in ejections.
Phillies manager Joe Girardi was having none of that, given that the team had done nothing wrong in the inning. He was ejected from the game after arguing with the umpires.
The entire sequence of events from the top of the sixth inning can be viewed below. [WARNING: Expletive Language]
Génesis Cabrera hits Bryce Harper in the face and Didi Gregorius in the ribs with his first two pitches
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 29, 2021
Benches get warned and Joe Girardi gets ejected, yelling "throw the ball over the fucking plate!" on his way out. Cardinals manager Mike Shildt yelled back pic.twitter.com/PLMmBQhvCt
Cabrera's errant pitches were less intentional than they were the result of having no command upon entering Wednesday night's game. He apologized for what transpired in his postgame interview.
"I want to again apologize for all the action that happened, especially to Harper," Cabrera said through an interpreter. "I really wish him the best. I hope he has a speedy recovery, in whatever it is that happened, and that he'll be able to return to baseball activities. The game got away from me at that point. I'm really sorry for everything that happened today. None of it was intentional. And again, I'm sorry for everything."
Génesis Cabrera apologizes for a pitch that hit Bryce Harper in face in the sixth inning. #STLCards pic.twitter.com/ePOLdSQpK1
— Bally Sports Midwest (@BallySportsMW) April 29, 2021
Despite the hit-by-pitches not being intentional, Girardi said Cabrera should've been tossed from the game.
"If a guy hits a guy in the face and a guy in the ribs with two pitches, he's gotta go," Girardi said. "If you're really protecting the players, obviously he doesn't have command, he's got to go.
Joe Girardi didn't think Génesis Cabrera was hitting #Phillies on purpose, but he wanted him tossed after Bryce Harper got hit in the face & Didi Gregorius the ribs. @KYWNewsradio
— Dave Uram (@MrUram) April 29, 2021
Tune in this morning for more reax & an update from Harper after the gamehttps://t.co/Tl3C0DpZvI pic.twitter.com/V197le9BaV
Ultimately, the Phillies got the last laugh. Outfielder Andrew McCutchen broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the sixth inning with an RBI single to put the Phillies up 4-3. Gregorius drove in another run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning to make it 5-3.
The win improved the Phillies to 12-12 on the season and pushed them back into a tie with the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East.
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