That's not eyeblack: Bryce Harper had blood dripping down his face in the 8th inning of Friday night's Nats-Reds game - cut above his left eye. So what the heck happened?
Via the Washington Times' Amanda Comak on Twitter:
"Harper took his frustrations out on the wall, w a bat. Davey said the bat came back & hit him. May need a stitch or 2, may be out few days."
Guess that's better than pulling an Amar’e Stoudemire and punching a fire extinguisher.
Via the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore on Twitter, Harper needed 10 stitches:
'Bryce Harper had a golf ball-sized lump over his eye, clumps of blood in his hair. 10 stitches. "I'm fine," he said. Wants to play tomorrow.'
But Harper suffered through his worst night as a pro Friday night: 0-5, 3K, 5 LOB. To add insult to injury, Davey Johnson benched Harper in favor of Xavier Nady as a defensive replacement in the 9th inning.
Unrelated: Bryce Harper got a haircut, cut off his rattail.
(Screengrabs via TV/MASN)
Good for him. Davey will get him straightened out. I love the fact that Bryce went out there with blood dripping down his face. Just one more pic to add to the lore that is Bryce Harper. This guy is destined for greatness. I love it.
Posted by: homer | May 11, 2012 at 10:56 PM
You should see the other guy.
Posted by: Anonymoose | May 11, 2012 at 11:38 PM
And That is what you call a gamer!
Every player is entitled to a bad night every now and then!
Posted by: CALSGR8 | May 12, 2012 at 02:02 AM
He needs anger management and few more guys smacking him with a ball to bring his ego down a notch or two. Greatness my ass.
Posted by: Lee | May 12, 2012 at 08:58 AM
Passion...nuthin wrong with that
Posted by: Dawgdaze | May 12, 2012 at 09:16 AM
"I love the fact that Bryce went out there with blood dripping down his face."
I've heard homer fans try to put a positive spin on something absurd, but this comment takes the cake. Sorry pal, there's nothing tough about accidentally hitting yourself in the face with a baseball bat. Whatever credit you're giving little Brycie for going back out there with blood on his face is negated by the absolute stupidity that caused it to happen in the first place.
Posted by: Rusky | May 12, 2012 at 09:17 AM
We might be looking at the modern day Pete Rose (no jokes please!) Bryce shows tons of hustle and passion for the game!
Posted by: Eric | May 12, 2012 at 12:42 PM
I like the kid, but c'mon--to pick a fight with a wall, and LOSE? Don't do that again.
Posted by: Sec3MySofa | May 12, 2012 at 03:31 PM
Anybody taking shots at this 19 year old teenager, yes let me say it again 19 years of age, needs to grow up and obviously that have not been a parent to a teen age young man. This young man has more raw talent than anybody really knows. The catch.......will modern day society, media, hype and all of the other pressures of life be too much? I don't think so. He has the fire in his belly and the raw talent. With time he will develop wisdom, patience and knowledge. He will succeed unless something unfortunate happens. Go kid go........you have a passion and let the sun shine on you. Just stay humble and become a wonderful example to all who watch you.
Posted by: Duke Aldridge | May 13, 2012 at 12:55 AM
he plays hustles and plays the game the right way because he is not a veteran he knows if he jogs to first after a groundball he will get his ass kicked by the team and coaches
Posted by: hunter303030 | May 13, 2012 at 11:50 AM
lets see where he is in three years.he seems to have alot of talent but the fame and adversity in the major leagues can make even seasoned vets fold under the pressure. i wish him luck.
Posted by: jim galloway | May 13, 2012 at 12:58 PM
Hope this doesn't turn into another "Roid Rage" story.
Posted by: Jim Mac | May 13, 2012 at 01:21 PM
Bryce Harper wants to pattern himself after Joe Namath? That would be going down the wrong road. Look at a pic of Namath now and it is not difficult to see how the party scene has aged him. Harper would be better off having role models such as Albert Pujols and the Nats own Ryan Zimmerman, both of whom shun the nightlife and can look forward to many more years of success. It is troubling that Harper does things like blowing a kiss to a pitcher after taking him yard and bopping himself in the head with his own bat. Hopefully it is only a sign of youthful immaturity. I believe Haper can be a top power hitter but not one who will hit for average. A better all around player appears to be Trout of the Angels but only time will tell. In any case Harper better forget about Broadway Joe if he wants to stick around for a long time and not end up like the Mick.
Posted by: Ron Bobel | May 17, 2012 at 11:52 AM