Well, that was almost a disaster.
You may not have seen it yesterday, but the Phillies narrowly avoided a catastrophe in their game against the Blue Jays. In the top of the sixth inning in Dunedin, Bryce Harper was hit in the upper arm by a pitch that then appeared to bounce up near his face and knock his helmet off. Harper exited the game (it was likely his last at-bat anyway) and the team believes he will be fine and listed it as a bruised right triceps.
Exhale.
On to the links.
Phillies news:
- More on the Harper near miss.
- The Phillies sent many of their stars to Dunedin for the game yesterday. Here’s notes on all of them.
- Johan Rojas played well in winter ball, and he’s trying to carry that over despite a shoulder injury.
- Justin Crawford had a full circle moment when he started against the Rays. ($)
- Hall of Famer Dick Allen was often misunderstood in Philadelphia and the league as a whole, but his hometown knows the truth. ($)
MLB news:
- Shohei Ohtani will make his spring debut on Friday against his former team the Angels, in a move that definitely wasn’t fueled by pettiness.
- Also on Friday, Jose Altuve will make his debut playing left field for the Astros.
- New Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano made his debut yesterday, and the 35-year-old MLB rookie showcased his vast arsenal and strike-throwing ability.
- Kyle Finnegan reportedly agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Nationals late Tuesday night.