Bryce Harper struck out looking—or at least that’s what Angel Hernandez said. In the bottom of the third, Harper worked a full count, laying off some close pitches. On the final pitch, he checked his swing, convinced he held up. The third-base umpire, Angel Hernandez, disagreed and rang him up. Harper instantly exploded. He unloaded on Hernandez, dropping a storm of profanity and disbelief. He couldn’t believe the call and wasn’t quiet about it. Hernandez stood stone-faced through the whole rant before calmly repeating, “You swung.”
Harper got ejected and fired back one final “you’ll see” as he walked off. On his way out, he launched his helmet into the stands. It bounced around before eventually landing with a young fan, who looked thrilled. The rest of the section knew they’d just witnessed something memorable, both on the field and in the seats. Meanwhile, the video compared Harper’s check swing to a nearly identical one earlier in the at-bat that wasn’t called. If anything, he held it back more the second time. That inconsistency is what sent Harper over the edge. Hernandez, known among fans for his controversial calls, added another one to his resume. The kid got a souvenir he’ll probably never forget. The umpire got an earful.