Kyle Harrison, Bryce Harper explain bench-clearing incident

On May 29, 2017, Bryce Harper was involved in a bench-clearing brawl at Oracle Park.

Seven years later–to the day–the two-time MVP was involved in another incident in San Francisco, this time involving Giants rookie pitcher Kyle Harrison.

During Wednesday’s matchup between San Francisco and the Philadelphia Phillies, Harper took exception to Harrison throwing two straight fastballs up and in, causing the star to yell toward the mound and create a benches-clearing scene.

No ejections occurred, and play resumed minutes following a brief, tense situation at Oracle Park.

“Maybe I missed a little in,” Harrison said of the incident following a 6-1 Giants loss. “But I mean, I don’t know. I’m trying to get [Harper] out, man. That’s a good player, so got to put it in spots where he might not be happy.”

Kyle Harrison buzzed Bryce Harper twice, causing Giants and Phillies benches to clear 😳 pic.twitter.com/Q3BIIymj9N

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 29, 2024

Harper confirmed that Harrison’s inside pitches weren’t intended to hit him, but the seven-time All-Star also stated that he didn’t want to get hit in the face. The 31-year-old missed time in 2021 after being hit in the face by a 97-mph fastball.

“He didn’t mean to,” Harper told reporters after the game. “Just don’t want to get hit in the face.”

The outfielder-turned-first-basemen also clarified that he wasn’t too fired up during the benches-clearing situation, stating, “I wasn’t really that mad. Just throw the ball over the plate.”

All things considered, the Harper-Harrison situation could have been much worse from MLB brawl standards, but cooler heads prevailed this time around–unlike Harper’s showdown against Hunter Strickland in 2017.

“I wasn’t really that mad.”

Bryce Harper knows Kyle Harrison’s up-and-in pitches weren’t intentional pic.twitter.com/iG6SbnRh7D

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 29, 2024

Upcoming schedule for the San Francisco Giants

• Friday, May 31st-Sunday, June 2nd – vs. New York Yankees
• Monday, June 3rd-Wednesday, June 5th – @ Arizona Diamondbacks
• Friday, June 7th-Sunday, June 9th – @ Texas Rangers
• Monday, June 10th-Wednesday, June 12th – vs. Houston Astros
• Friday, June 14-Sunday, June 16th – vs. Los Angeles Angels

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