Bryce Harper was ejected during the 9th inning of his team’s walk-off win over the Detroit Tigers Monday night, but he managed to get the last word in while celebrating the victory with his teammates.
Harper was unhappy with a called third strike on teammate Danny Espinosa to lead off the bottom of the 9th, and he let umpire Brian Knight hear about it from the dugout. The Washington Nationals star was ejected but returned to the field to unload on Knight when Clint Robinson hit a walk-off homer. Harper later told reporters he was shocked that Knight singled him out.
“You never want to get thrown out in that situation, especially in the 9th inning of a tie ballgame,” he said. “Everybody was up on the steps preaching about what they thought was going on and he picked me and said, ‘See you later.”
When asked about the possibility of a fine forthcoming, Harper expressed no remorse.
“I was pretty upset. I don’t think it was right to even do that, so I let him hear what I had to say and let him hear it again,” he said. “So what. If I (get fined), I (get fined). I’ll pay it. Maybe he’ll get fined, too.”
There was nothing subtle about the F-bomb Harper hurled at Knight. You can see the video here.
In all likelihood, Harper will at least be facing a fine. The league will likely look at whether Knight was singling him out, but Harper will probably be disciplined either way.
