Bryce Harper (31, Philadelphia Phillies), who was angry at the third base umpire’s check swing decision, was unexpectedly ejected. According to the broadcaster’s replay, Harper’s bat did not spin.
Harper started as first baseman No. 3 in the 2023 Major League Baseball home game against the Pittsburgh Pirates held at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA on the 29th (Korean time) and was ejected after recording no hits and one walk in one at-bat.
Harper, who walked in the first inning, faced his second at-bat in the third inning with the score tied 1-1 and no runners on base. He met Pittsburgh starter Luis L. Ortiz and faced a full 3B-2S count, and took a check swing at the slider that fell on the 6th pitch, but the third base umpire’s right hand rose and a missed swing was declared as a strikeout.토토사이트
Harper dismantled his right shin guard to get on base with a walk, but could not hide his embarrassment at the third base umpire’s swing decision. Afterwards, he took off his helmet and shouted at the third base umpire to express his dissatisfaction with the decision, and upon seeing this, the third base umpire ordered him to leave. Harper seemed to have lost his temper as he rushed towards the third base umpire and continued to protest violently by making a pointing gesture with his right arm right in front of the umpire’s face.
Harper stopped protesting and walked into the dugout after being restrained by the coaching staff. The home fans at Citizens Bank Park gave Harper a standing ovation, and Harper responded by throwing his helmet into the stands.
In the replay of the broadcast screen, it was confirmed that Harper’s bat did not spin. It was a clear error by the third base umpire. The local broadcaster said, “The third base umpire’s decision is not fair. “I’ve never seen a decision like that before,” he said, criticizing the referee.
Meanwhile, it was confirmed that the helmet Harper threw was given to a 10-year-old fan named Hayden Dorfman. According to MLB.com, the official Major League Baseball website, the helmet bounced off someone’s hand and fell into the passageway between the zones, and five fans, including Dorfman’s father, ran to where the helmet fell and stretched out their hands.
Dorfman’s father said, “The moment he picked up the helmet, four adult men rushed to take it. I thought it wasn’t enough to pull him towards me, but at that moment I saw a child standing next to me, and the most effective way to get the helmet was to say, ‘I’ll give it to the child.’ At that moment, other fans started saying, ‘Give it to the kid,’ and Hayden got the helmet.”