Midway through the fifth inning of Saturday’s Phillies-Mets match (PHI-NYM GameTracker), Philadelphia batter Bryce Harper ejected first baseman Roberto Ortiz to take his place on right field. Here’s a look at the relevant color television footage:
Harper was annoyed by a fair foul in the upper half of the half. Harper shot Seth Lugo’s ball on first baseline, but Ortiz called it a foul. Harper passed out to complete the shot. So when the Phillies finished at the bottom of fifth position, Harper let Ortiz hear about it – more than enough, according to Ortiz.
Most likely, Harper is experiencing some disappointment with the mistake he made on the field during the fourth serve. Andres Jimenez appeared in the shallow water on the right, but Harper was unable to take charge of the game, although he had the easiest path to the ball. So second baseman Neil Walker had to play back, allowing Todd Frazier to score and score from third. Here’s a look:
Coincidentally, it was Walker who tried to contain Harper a little later.
Harper was very productive this second season of his with the Phillies (he’s hitting .271 / 0.429 / 0.523 in a year), but Saturday night wasn’t vintage Harper.
Come to think of it, in that sense it was a vintage Harper:
Bryce Harper is good at baseball and also being told to stop playing baseball.
