Phillies’ Bryce Harper OK after collision at first base: ‘He just hit my funny bone’
Harper’s collision at first base with the Braves' Matt Olson gave the Phillies a scare, but it was a short-lived one.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he’s not concerned about Bryce Harper’s arm after a scary moment in the eighth inning of their 3-1 victory over the Braves in Game 4 of the National League Division Series.
Harper clutched his right arm in apparent pain after he and the Braves’ Matt Olson collided at first base. Olson appeared to knock into Harper’s arm after running out a ground ball to second baseman Bryson Stott. It was the same arm that Harper underwent Tommy John surgery on in the offseason.
”I think Matt just kind of bumped him as he was coming through, not intentionally, obviously,” Thomson said. “So we’ll just check him out [Friday], but I don’t think there’s any problem.”
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Harper said on the TBS broadcast: ”He just hit my funny bone. I’m good.”
Harper made the out to end the top of the eighth, and after going into the clubhouse to meet with Phillies trainers, returned to the dugout during the bottom of the inning. He was back on the field playing first in the ninth, but did not have to make any plays.
Harper was a full participant in the Phillies’ postgame celebrations in the field and in the clubhouse.
”We’ll see how it feels [Friday], but I don’t think there’s any concern about structural damage or anything like that,” Thomson said. “It might be a little bit of just a scare. ... Harper’s a tough guy, and it’d take a lot to keep him out of the next series.”
Phillies general manager Dave Dombrowski said Harper’s collision gave him a scare, but a short-lived one.
”As we looked at the replay, it was apparent it hit his funny bone,” Dombrowski said.
Dombrowski said he was never concerned that Harper might have reinjured his surgically-repaired elbow.
”I’ve been told by our doctors, assured, that the surgery is fine, so you’re just hoping nothing else happens,” Dombrowski said. “But then you looked at the replay and it saw [it wasn’t serious].”