Harper upset by early ejection: I could've changed game

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper said he shouldn't have been ejected in the first inning of Friday's 3-2 loss in extras to the Colorado Rockies.

Harper was tossed by home plate umpire Brian Walsh after the two-time NL MVP dropped his bat, threw his helmet, and said some words following a strikeout:

The 31-year-old superstar also called a timeout after a questionable called strike earlier in the at-bat.

"I'm not trying to get thrown out in the first inning in Colorado, obviously. It's a bummer, man," Harper said postgame, according to Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia. "I could've hit a double in the gap or homer and the game's changed. I don't know, just kinda bummed that it even happened because I don't feel like it should have."

He added: "I feel like John Tumpane, Alan Porter, Pat Hoberg, even Vic (Carapazza) at second tonight - there's professionals in this league, and there's guys that are really good at their job, and they understand it. I guess (umpire) 120, he didn't understand it. It is what it is. I'm just bummed out we lose that game. It could have been something different if I'm in the lineup."

However, crew chief Vic Carapazza supported Walsh's decision to toss Harper.

"What led to the ejection was that Bryce Harper was clearly upset about the pitches, and Brian (Walsh, home plate umpire) gave him a long leash," Carapazza said, according to Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "He kept him in the game, and Bryce just kept arguing about balls and strikes and, at the end of the day, equipment violation is basically a big warning, and if you continue to talk about pitches, then Brian had to handle it."

The ejection was the 21st of Harper's 13-year career.