It turns out the only thing that could slow down Bryce Harper is a 95 mph fastball to the knee. The Washington Nationals outfielder exited Saturday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers after getting hit in the top of the ninth inning.
Continue for updates.
Harper Hit by Pitch, Leaves Game
Saturday, June 13
Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com reported that Harper was forced to leave the game after Michael Blazek’s errant fastball plunked the 22-year-old in the left knee. Matt den Dekker took Harper’s spot in the Nationals lineup.
“Given the state of that game, get him out and get some ice on him right away. Hopefully he’s good to go [Sunday],” manager Matt Williams said, according to Brandon Curry of MLB.com.
Entering Saturday, Harper was one of the hottest hitters in baseball. He was second in MLB in home runs (21) and runs batted in (49) and first in pretty much every advanced offensive category, including WAR among position players (4.4), per FanGraphs.
A number of baseball fans have waited for Harper to take that next step in his career, and the Nationals star has done exactly that in 2015.
Washington fans shouldn’t begin panicking about the injury just yet. It’s very possible the Nats were simply taking every precaution necessary since they had a five-run lead going into the bottom of the ninth.
Should Harper miss a few games, Den Dekker or Tyler Moore would likely serve as his replacement. Little about the hit-by-pitch would lead you to believe that Harper’s destined for a stint on the disabled list.
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