The Philadelphia Phillies are embroiled in a back-and-forth battle for the NL East with the New York Mets. And the heated division race may be causing tempers to flare. After a fiery confrontation with commissioner Rob Manfred earlier this week, Bryce Harper lost his cool again on Friday.
The Phillies’ first baseman was livid after being called out on strikes while attempting to check his swing. The two-time MVP animatedly argued the call and was ejected in the seventh inning of the series opener against the Detroit Tigers, per CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr.
Bryce Harper ejected pic.twitter.com/ApJLDcM2X6
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Harper thought he drew a walk by laying off a Will Vest slider that was out of the zone. But third base umpire Vic Carapazza ruled that he went around. Harper immediately voiced his displeasure with the call, venting his wrath at Carapazza. And he continued arguing between innings. The strikeout stranded runners at second and third in a tie game.
Phillies retake division lead with win over Tigers
Despite losing Harper, the Phillies mounted a comeback against the Tigers Friday. After entering the bottom of the eighth inning down 4-3, Philadelphia manufactured two runs on a double and two singles. A Detroit throwing error helped the effort as well, as the team took a 5-4 lead into the ninth.
The comeback allowed the Phillies to unveil their big trade deadline acquisition. Jhoan Durán received a hero’s welcome from the Philadelphia crowd. The closer made his Phillies debut after the team landed him in a deal with the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday.
Durán worked a 1-2-3 ninth, earning his first save with the Phillies and his 17th of the season. The win, combined with the Mets’ 4-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants, put Philadelphia back in first place in the NL East.
The Phillies are still attempting to find their form as they look to stave off the Mets for the division crown. The team has gone just 8-7 over its last 15 games.
However, Harper has heated up over that span. After starting slow and being sidelined by a wrist injury, the eight-time All-Star is slashing .328/.403/.781 since July 9. In his last 16 games he has six home runs, 11 RBI and 15 runs scored.
