Phillies star Bryce Harper ‘feels good’ after taking 97 mph pitch to face
The All Star slugger appeared to be relatively unscathed after being struck by a Genesis Cabrera fastball
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper insists he “feels good” despite being hit in the face by a 96.9 mph fastball pitch.
The All Star slugger was stunned during the game against the St. Louis Cardinals following Genesis Cabrera’s first pitch in the sixth inning.
The accident, which saw the ball catch Harper flush on his left cheek, led to Harper collapsing, before he picked himself up with blood dripping from a cut on his nose.
“Everything feels good,” Harper said on Instagram, with the 28-year-old undergoing a CT scan and other testing. “Everything came back good.”
The minor swelling and bruising to his cheek in the video was a positive sign, with Harper adding: “Face is still there, so we’re all good.”
Cabrera was in dangerous form, with his very next pitch drilling Didi Gregorius. It prompted Phillies manager Joe Girardi to emerge from his dugout to remonstrate with plate umpire Chris Segal, leading to his ejected.
“I’m very sorry for Bryce Harper,” Cabrera said through an translator. “I want to again to apologise to all of the action that happened, especially to Harper. I really wish him the best and I hope he has a speedy recovery. The game got away from me. I’m really sorry for everything that happened. It was not intentional.”
After calming down, Girardi admitted he thought it was an accident, but that the danger of his players was jeopardised and should have seen Cabrera pulled from the game.
“I’ve been hit in the face, broke my nose. It’s scary,” Girardi said when questioned on the incident. “I don’t think he did it on purpose. I’m not saying that. But for the protection of the players, he has to go.”
Matt Joyce ran for Harper, while Gregorius remained in the game. Cabrera allowed an RBI single to Andrew McCutchen the next at-bat before being pulled.
Harper grounded out and struck out in his first two at-bats. Gregorius doubled and struck out in his two at-bats.
Harper, in the third year of a $330 million, 13-year deal, entered the game hitting .329, including .432 over his last 10 games.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments