What happened to Bryce Harper? Phillies star gets hit in the face with 97 MPH fastball

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper had to leave Wednesday's 5-3 win against the St. Louis Cardinals after being hit in the face by a 97 miles per hour pitch from Cardinals pitcher Genesis Cabrera. Cabrera hit Harper with the first pitch of the top of the sixth inning with the game tied 3-3. However, Harper was able to leave the field under his own power despite visibly bleeding. Here is more on what happened to Bryce Harper and its impact on the Phillies schedule -

What happened to Bryce Harper? Bryce Harper face injury

There was a frightening moment during Wednesday night’s MLB game in St. Louis between the hometown Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies. The alarming incident took place when Cardinals left-hander Genesis Cabrera hit the Bryce Harper face with a 97 mp/h fastball during his at-bat in the top of the sixth inning. Replays showed that Harper tried to get his right hand up to block the ball but the pitch from Cabrera struck Harper straight-on instead. 

Harper immediately went down to the ground and appeared to be checking himself for blood or other signs of injury. He was soon joined by a Phillies teammate and was met by a team trainer as he walked off the field. There appeared to be a cut on the left side of Harper’s nose as he left the dugout and headed into the clubhouse. He did not return for the remainder of the game. 

Bryce Harper injury update: Phillies star 'okay' after nasty face injury

After the game, Harper took to Instagram to provide his followers with an injury update. He said, "Everything feels good. Everything came back good. CT (scan), all that kind of stuff. So, face is still there. We're all good. See you guys soon." Harper went 0-for-2 before leaving the game, and it left his season batting average at .321. He has six homers and 10 RBIs in 23 games. Cabrera also apologized for the Bryce Harper face injury in his postgame media session.

Six-time All-Star Harper was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2012 and the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 2015, both while he was with the Washington Nationals. He is currently in his third season with the Phillies, and he has a career .277/.388/.515 batting line with 238 homers and 678 RBIs in 1,165 games. The Phillies are currently leading the NL East MLB standings, along with the Braves. The Phillies have one more game against the Cardinals before their four-game series against the Mets, which begins from May onwards as per the Phillies schedule. 

Image Credits - AP