Bryce Harper Breaks His Left Thumb

By: Lucas Ku

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper suffered a broken left thumb when he was struck by a pitch from the San Diego Padres’ Blake Snell on Saturday night. Harper was injured in the fourth inning of the Phillies’ 4–2 victory at Petco Park when he checked his swing as the pitch rose and the ball struck his hand as he leaned away.

“I’ve never had a hand injury like this,” Harper told reporters as he stood at his locker after the game, wearing a splint on his thumb. “Never broken anything in my life, this is new to me.” Last season, Harper managed to miss only a few games after being struck in the face by a fastball thrown by Génesis Cabrera of the St. Louis Cardinals, but this is clearly a different type of injury. “I kind of wish it would’ve hit me in the face. I don’t break bones in my face,” Harper said with a laugh. Harper continued, “I can take a ball 98 mph into my face, but not a 97 mph into my thumb.”

Snell told reporters that he had texted Harper. “Obviously, I felt terrible hitting him,” Snell said. “I don’t do that, and he knows that. We’ve talked. We’ve handled it.” Harper, who was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday, has hit 15 home runs in a season. After Harper’s thumb was broken, his team reported that he was going to be out for a long time since extensive medical treatment will probably be necessary.