TORONTO — Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper left Wednesday’s 4-2 win at the Toronto Blue Jays after being hit on the left elbow by a pitch — but he isn’t convinced it’s worth taking a couple of days off to rest.
“I just feel like I’m going to feel the exact same,” said Harper, who recently acknowledged playing through nagging wrist and elbow issues.
Harper winced in pain and grabbed his elbow after he was struck by a 92 mph fastball from right-hander Bowden Francis in the first inning.
Harper stayed in to run the bases and played defense in the first and second innings. Edmundo Sosa pinch hit for Harper to begin the third and took over at third base, with Kody Clemens moving from third to first.
Bryce Harper was hit by a pitch on his left elbow in the first inning of the Phillies’ game against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, and he left the game before the third. Cole Burston/The Canadian Press via AP
“It was stiffening up a little bit, but as of right now, he’s fine,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “I think he could have continued on if we really had to.”
Harper, 31, is hitting .282 with 26 home runs and 76 RBIs. He is in his first full season at first base after right elbow surgery caused a move from right field.
Meanwhile, Kyle Schwarber hit his 13th leadoff home run of the season against Francis, matching Alfonso Soriano’s 2003 major league record.
“We all know when Kyle gets hot, man, it’s fun to watch,” Harper said. “We’re excited to be able to see that. I love seeing homers and him do that. It’s super impressive.”
A day after hitting three home runs, Schwarber went deep for the fourth time in seven at-bats and picked up his sixth hit in that span when he drove a 1-0 pitch into the second deck in right.
The 416-foot drive was Schwarber’s 32nd home run of the season, and he matched Brady Anderson for ninth with 44 leadoff homers. Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson is tops with 81, while Toronto’s George Springer leads active players with 60.
“There’s a lot of talk about how he doesn’t steal bases, he doesn’t do this, he doesn’t do that,” Thomson said of Schwarber. “But he walks and he slugs.”
Schwarber finished 2-for-3. He singled in the second, struck out in the fifth and was replaced by a pinch runner after he walked in the eighth.
“That guy is special,” Francis said of Schwarber. “He’s hot right now. It’s like throwing to Vladdy.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
