Major League Baseball announced Wednesday it suspended Washington Nationals slugger Bryce Harper one game for his actions during the Nats‘ 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on Monday.
According to MLB‘s announcement, Harper also received an “undisclosed fine.”
“Have to look at the precedent for the penalty,” Harper’s agent, Scott Boras, said, per MLB Network Radio. “Don’t know any player who hasn’t had a moment with an umpire.”
“Relationship between Harper and umpires is a good one,” Boras added, per MLB Network Radio. “These moments arise, more about how you carry yourself moving forward.”
Home plate umpire Brian Knight ejected Harper during the ninth inning of that game for yelling at him from the dugout after teammate Danny Espinosa was called out on strikes.
Clint Robinson hit a walk-off, pinch-hit home run during the ensuing at-bat, and Harper appeared to scream an expletive at the ump during the celebration, as seen in this video courtesy of Fox Sports: MLB:
Following the incident, Harper wasn’t concerned about a potential fine, and he wasn’t remorseful for his actions either, per ESPN.com’s Eddie Matz: “I was pretty upset. I think I was right to do that. Let him hear what I have to say, let him hear it again, and so what? Couple choice words. If I do [get fined], I do. I’ll pay it. So I think it deserves to, you know, maybe he’ll get fined, too. So we’ll see.”
The ejection marked the seventh of the 23-year-old superstar’s career, and his subsequent actions continued a trend of his emotions getting the best of him.
Despite that, manager Dusty Baker wasn’t overly concerned after the game, according to Matz: “It’s an emotional game. He’s an emotional young man. You certainly don’t like him to get tossed, but every once in a while, you gotta blow off some steam, or else you go crazy. I’m sure it won’t happen again.”
The reigning National League MVP’s outburst came on the heels of a particularly frustrating series against the Chicago Cubs that saw him walk an MLB-record 13 times in four Nats defeats.
Washington was on the verge of another defeat when Harper was tossed from the game, and despite the excitement of getting back on track with a victory, the former No. 1 overall pick was unable to contain himself.
While Harper wasn’t worried about getting fined, his actions hurt his team, as it will be without its best player for one game, which significantly changes the potency of its lineup.
Harper is among the most fiery, competitive players in baseball; however, he won’t do the Nats much good on the bench.
While asking Harper to play with less passion would be a mistake since it is a big reason for his success, Baker would be wise to suggest to him to tone down his interactions with umpires.
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