Harper blames umpire for ejection: 'Just bad behind there'

Bryce Harper blamed home plate umpire Mike Winters for his tirade Saturday after the Washington Nationals star struck out in extra innings on a called third strike.

With no outs and no one on in the 10th inning against the Colorado Rockies, Harper lost his temper after Winters called strike three on a pitch that appeared to just miss outside. Harper responded by throwing his helmet to the ground and getting in the umpire's face before Winters ejected him.

"It was off the plate," Harper told reporters. "I could possibly see one more pitch and maybe hit a homer or a double or walk - I could even strike out. But I just wanted to see that last pitch, and I never got there.

"It just shouldn't happen. Just bad behind there. It's not a strike."

Following Harper's ejection, the Rockies exploded for five runs in the 11th inning for an eventual 9-4 win.

"You don't ever want to get ejected, but you don't want an umpire to make a mistake in that big of a situation," Harper said. "That's just not good. I wanted to see that last pitch. We could have possibly not played the 11th or the 12th or whatever."

(Video courtesy: MLB.com)