Bryce Harper wishes he took Blake Snell’s fastball to the face rather than letting it hit him in the hands
The Philadelphia Phillies took three of four games out in San Diego over the weekend, but ended up losing Bryce Harper, who is now out indefinitely with a broken thumb.
Harper has a fractured thumb thanks to a 97 mph fastball that got away from Blake Snell on Saturday night. He was placed on the injured list yesterday and Mickey Moniak was recalled from Triple A.
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This season, Harper was leading the National League in All-Star voting and was slashing a ridiculous .318/.385/.599 with 15 home runs and 48 RBI, carrying a .985 OPS into this past weekend. Losing him obviously hurts the Phillies but if we’re being honest, this lineup should be able to carry the weight in Harpers absence, but that has yet to be seen.Â
Harper commented on his injury and said the following:
“I hate being hurt. Things happen for a reason, everybody says that. This reason sucks right now. But I’ve got to be positive for the guys in here, I know they’ll pick up the slack. I’m just really bummed for the organization, for the guys, the city of Philadelphia, the fans. I love running out there and playing every day. Definitely bummed.”
That was a pretty standard response from Harper, who typically says something like that regardless of the situation. What did catch my attention, however, was what he said about how he wished he just let the ball hit him in the face rather than the thumb. Lets take a look.
“I kind of wish it would have hit me in the face. I don’t break bones in my face, so …” Harper said with a slight smile. “I can take 98 to the face but I can’t take 97 to the thumb.”
Harper wished he protected his hands, something he mentioned that he never really hurt before throughout his career. The guy was regretting NOT taking a 97 mph fastball to the face because he doesn’t break bones in his face? Incredible.
Last season, Harper took a 98 mph fastball to his face from Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera and it didn’t keep him out very long, so maybe that’s the reasoning behind wanting another to the dome rather than his hands.
Bryce Harper Next Steps
Harper will see a hand specialist this week in Philadelphia to determine next steps. Surgery is still in play, which would be horrible for the Phillies and fans alike. We’ll just have to see how it goes.
As for the Phillies, they open up a three game series against the Braves tomorrow night at Citizens Bank Park looking to keep things moving without the reigning NL MVP.
