Philadelphia Phillies: Bryce Harper ejection came at right time

In the top of the fourth inning Monday night, Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper was ejected for arguing balls and strikes from the dugout.

In baseball, ejections have become a lost art, even more so for the Philadelphia Phillies. No Phillie has been ejected since 2015 when relief pitcher Justin De Fratus was tossed from a game. Yes, you read that name right, it has been that long.

Well, on a cold and rainy Monday night in New York, that streak finally came to an end. In the top of the fourth inning, Bryce Harper was ejected from the Phillies contest with the New York Mets. Harper wasn’t even at the plate; he was tossed while teammate Cesar Hernandez was batting.

It was only a matter of time until the oft-tempered Harper got ejected from a game. Quite frankly, it was something that many fans were looking forward to, myself included. Also, the ejection may have come at just the right time for the Phillies.

First of all, let’s talk about the pitch that got Harper ejected. It was a fastball that missed up to Hernandez and Mets’ catcher Wilson Ramos brought down a solid inch or two. It was a very bad call by home plate umpire Mark Carlson, and Harper was upset about a call in his previous at-bat.

Carlson knew it was a bad call, and he made matters worse by tossing Harper, causing Gabe Kapler to confront the umpire. No one knows what Harper said from the dugout, but all Carlson tossing Harper did was create an unnecessary scene, and he was even seen smirking as he put his mask back on.

But who can blame Harper for getting tossed though? It was a cold and rainy night in Queens, and thanks to the rain delay, the game wouldn’t end until around midnight. A quick nights work for Harper and an opportunity to prepare for tomorrow’s game.

In all seriousness though, this is a Phillies team that has been very flat as of late, especially after dropping three of four to the Colorado Rockies this past weekend. This is a team that needed a spark, and maybe Harper’s ejection could be that spark.

The Phillies offense has looked flat, and no one truly knows if it will serve as a spark. But at the very least, Harper was stepping up for his teammate, and it provided a moment of excitement for what was an overall gloomy evening.