Boiling Frustrations and Benches Clearing – Bryce Harper’s Phillies Have an Eventful Day Against the Giants

How can you have Bryce Harper and not expect something bombastic to happen on the field? After all, what is Bryce Harper if not highly passionate and competitive? Even when his team is winning, the star can’t help but voice his displeasure in his own ways. Sometimes that leads to ejections and sometimes, like yesterday against the San Francisco Giants, it leads to an explosive day on the field for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Even though the Fightin’ Phils cruised by the Bay Bombers in a 6-1 win, things weren’t as straightforward on the field. Harper, in particular, had a frustrating time on the plate. Two of his at-bats saw the superstar show his anger with his performance. However, in one of those innings, things escalated to full-on bench clearing. Though it didn’t lead to any ejections, it provided an exciting viewing experience.

The situation arose at the top of the 4th inning, with the Phillies 2-0 and Harper at the plate. The Giants’ Kyle Harrison ended up buzzing Harper with a pair of fastballs, with the last one barely missing his head. The Phillies star’s helmet fell to the ground and he looked visibly shaken. That led to the entire benches clearing, with the teams talking to the umpires. However, later, both teams indicated that the matter wasn’t as serious as it looked.

“He didn’t mean it,” Harper said after the game (via Fox Sports). “I didn’t want to get hit in the face again. That’s about it…You get hit in the face, man, it’s not fun. That’s about it.”  Harrison, too, noted that he never intended to hit Harper. The pitcher shared that he was just aiming to get Harper out, but his pitch leaked just a little bit to the inside. While this was the culmination of a frustrating day for Bryce Harper, it also made his connection with Oracle Park even more iconic. The superstar continued his history of aggressive moments at Oracle Park.

Bryce Harper’s frustrations and growing feud with the Oracle Park

The previous at-bat strikeout had left the Philadelphia Phillies superstar a little frustrated. That led to the Phillies’ bench facing the brunt of his frustrations. Bryce Harper continuously slammed his bat on the bench as the rest of his team looked on. While that shows Harper’s passion, it also was a little hilarious to see a player get frustrated while his team was winning. However, this is nothing new for Harper when it comes to Oracle Park.

In 2017, the then-Washington Nationals star became part of an infamous but iconic moment. The superstar immediately rushed toward the pitcher after a pitch hit him and started a huge fistfight. So it looks like Harper has a love-hate relationship with the San Francisco Giants and Oracle Park. Whatever the case, this is just another chapter in the Bryce Harper story.