Harper was replaced by Chris Heisey in right field for the bottom of the third, but his presence would still be felt. He appeared to jar himself sliding around Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang and was checked by a trainer.
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The Nationals, at least, were very unhappy.
While Harper stayed in initially, he eventually left the game.
When Kang came up for the first time after Harper was hurt in the third inning, he saw a fastball sail behind him from Washington starter A.J. Cole.
The imagery of Sunday’s game told the story better than the box score: Bryce Harper holding his thumb and snapping Jung Ho Kang; Gerrit Cole with Sean Rodriguez in a bear hug, a scrum of yellow and red behind them, Andrew McCutchen turning his back and slowing as a ball rocketed over his head and into the bushes.
“First of all, I meant no harm, ” Kang said through a translator. Once the Phillies defeated the Mets, the party was on and popping in the visitors’ clubhouse.In the team clubhouse, Baker explained, it was all business, with work to be done before anyone could start celebrating.”I expected to be here”, Baker said. The Nationals’ rally came against former teammate Felipe Rivero (1-5).
Jayson Werth, who was in the middle of the ruckus, had a pinch-hit, two-run homer and Heisey had a go-ahead single during a five-run burst in the eighth.
By the time Mark Melancon recorded the final out for his 43rd save of the season, a full 4 hours and one minute had elapsed since Tyler Glasnow’s first pitch, making this the longest nine-inning game in Nationals history.
The aftermath of Saturday night’s clinching celebration, combined with the shock of this morning’s tragic news of Marlins ace Jose Fernandez’s death, left the Nationals (and probably the Pirates, as well) in something of a daze when they took the field this afternoon.
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Kang wasn’t the only Korean to go deep on the day, as Kim Hyun-soo of the Baltimore Orioles hit a two-run shot against the Arizona Diamondbacks at home. RHP Neftali Feliz (arm) threw off flat ground but is not yet ready for a return to the mound.
