Several hours afterwards, neither Matt Williams nor Bryce Harper could explain exactly what happened Wednesday night.
Washington’s manager and star right fielder were each ejected in the third inning of the team’s 3-2 win over the New York Yankees for arguing with home plate umpire Marvin Hudson. The argument appeared to center around a called first strike, and Harper’s deliberate movement into and out of the batter’s box thereafter. Hudson, however, told a pool reporter that it had “nothing to do with the box.”
“He didn’t like the pitch, and I let him have his say going and coming,” Hudson said. “The dugout didn’t like it, and one thing led to another and I had to run him. I had to eject him.”
Harper was at a loss for words as he trudged off the field. After the game, however, he had plenty of them.
“I don’t think 40,000 people came to watch him ump tonight, plain and simple. Plain and simple,” Harper said. “I really don’t think they did. Especially when we’re playing the Yankees. The Yankees are a good team, we’re a good team and we’re rolling. I don’t want to get tossed. There’s no reason for me to get tossed in that situation. I don’t think I did anything bad to get tossed. Maybe he just had a bad morning or he didn’t get his coffee.”
Williams was asked to explain what prompted Harper’s ejection.
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“I can’t. I can’t explain it,” Williams said. “He took the pitch. He disagreed with the call. He stepped back in the box. Marvin took his mask off and talked to me in the dugout. When he was done with that, then he motioned for Harp to get back in the box. He attempted to. And he threw him out. That’s what I saw.
“So I don’t know if there’s anything to warrant him being ejected. Doggone it, he’s our best player and arguably the best player on the planet right now. And we need him in the game. And I don’t feel as if there was any need to throw him out. So that’s why I went out and argued.”
Whatever the reason, it was the second time in seven days that both Harper and Williams were ejected.
The at-bat began with a called first strike, which both the 22-year-old slugger and his manager believed was low and outside the strike zone. Harper stepped out of the batter’s box, looked at the ground and told Hudson, “That was a little down, don’t you think?” The umpire then asked him to get back into the box, which Harper said he had already done. As he waited for the next pitch, Williams began chirping at Hudson from the dugout steps. Hudson removed his mask and began yelling back at Williams.
As the confrontation continued, Harper stepped out of the box. The umpire “told me to get my butt in the box,” Harper said.
“I was like, ’Well, you’re still chirping at my manager, so let me take a minute,’” Harper explained. “He told me to put my foot in the box and I said, ’I’ll take the fine.’ It’s not a priority for us to get in the box unless we really need to. I was just taking my time. Once I put my foot back in the box. I says, ’This is where I was.’ He rung me. He tossed me.”
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When asked whether Harper re-engaged with him during this time, Hudson said, “Absolutely he did.”
After Harper was ejected, Williams left the dugout to continue yelling at Hudson. He, too, was tossed. He kicked dirt on the plate to loud applause from the crowd before leaving the field. Bench coach Randy Knorr assumed Williams’ duties as manager, while Michael Taylor replaced Harper in right field.
Wednesday’s incident was not the first between Hudson and Harper. Late in the 2013 season, Harper was at the plate against Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel with two outs in the ninth inning and the Nationals down, 2-1. Hudson, stationed at third base, called Harper out on a check swing, ending the game. The outfielder yelled something at Hudson as he left the field.
“I just told him how good he was and how good he looked,” Harper told reporters after the game.
On Wednesday night, Williams declined to comment on whether he believed Hudson had baited Harper into committing an act that would garner an ejection.
“I’m not going to get into that,” Williams said. “All I know is he is arguably our best player right now. We want him in the ballgame. And I don’t feel as if it was warranted to throw him out at that juncture.”
Harper watched video of the incident and maintains he did nothing wrong. He does not believe umpires hold him to a different standard than other players.
“Thankfully we won a 3-2 ballgame. Drew Storen came in and closed the door,” Harper concluded. “Got my lift in early. That was good. Of course, I want to be on the field. I don’t need to be in here watching the game on TV. I need to be on the field and helping my team win and in those situations I want to stay in the game — especially in the third inning. I mean that’s a joke getting tossed in the third.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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