The Phillies didn’t get mad after Bryce Harper got drilled in the right elbow Tuesday by Braves ace Spencer Strider, at least not outwardly.
Instead, they got even, as Max Kepler doubled home Alec Bohm in the bottom of the second, giving the Phillies’ pitching staff all it needed for the 2-0 win against their rivals in the opener of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park.
It was a scary scene in the bottom of the first as Harper grimaced in pain and quickly exited the batter’s box following a 95-mile per hour fastball that nailed the Phillies’ best hitter on his surgically repaired right elbow.
Harper eventually went down to one knee, holding the elbow with his left hand as trainers tended to him, while the Bank crowd showered Strider with jeers.
X-rays were negative for Bryce Harper after this hit by pitch.
He has a right elbow contusion. pic.twitter.com/CTC5YxoWdX— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 27, 2025
Harper left the game and was replaced by Edmundo Sosa to bat third in the order and play third base while Bohm moved from third to first.
Fortunately for the Phillies, they announced that X-rays on Harper’s right elbow came back negative, although that doesn’t mean Harper’s status for Wednesday night’s game and beyond is certain.
After the game, Phillies manager Rob Thomson expressed concern for the two-time MVP .
Fortunately for the Braves, the year isn’t 1986, or it’s very likely that Braves slugger Ronald Acuña Jr. would’ve taken a Ranger Suárez fastball to the backside as retaliation for Atlanta beaning the Phillies’ best player.
Fortunately for Strider, pitchers are no longer required to hit, so he didn’t have to face the music in the batter’s box, either.
Which raises this question for Wednesday night’s game – should Phils starter Zack Wheeler, an old-school type as one of the few remaining starting pitchers who can still work deep into games – send a message to one of the Braves’ hitters?
Retaliatory beanings used to be commonplace in MLB but aren’t as frequent these days as the game has moved away from the heated brawls and “head-hunting" from yesteryear.
Last month, Nationals reliever Jorge Lopez was suspended three games and fined for being deemed by MLB to be head-hunting when he threw way up and way inside to Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen. Nats manager Dave Martinez was also suspended one game and fined because of his reliever’s actions.
The night before, Nationals infielder Paul DeJong exited early after being hit in the face by Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller, which led MLB to believe Lopez’s actions the next night were in retaliation, even though Lopez had apologized after the game and said he wasn’t trying to send a message.
So, back to the Phillies.
If Wheeler decided to waste a fastball somewhere on, or near, Acuna’s body, would it be worth potentially losing the Phils’ best starter – arguably the game’s best starter – for a few days, along with their manager? Or possibly even more if a bench-clearing brawl ensued? Was winning the game, and potentially winning the series, enough revenge?
Those are the questions the Phillies have to ask themselves.
As for Strider, he denied intentionally hitting Harper, telling reporters after that he was “certainly not trying to hit him” and that he was “definitely relieved that he’s OK,” while also calling Harper “one of the best players this century.”
Strider added that he’s not a “complete sociopath” and that, of course, he has some empathy for Harper. Strider also joked about the not-so-warm reception he received afterward from Phillies fans.
The Braves bullpen were kicking Phillies fans out because they were heckling Spencer Strider
(via @JamesNotor) pic.twitter.com/l2Y5u9CYEl— Crossing Broad (@CrossingBroad) May 27, 2025
Strider could very well be telling the truth. He’s coming back from an elbow surgery that cost him the entire 2024 season and sidelined him for the first few weeks of this season.
When Strider made his season debut April 16 against the Blue Jays after a few dominant starts in Triple-A, it was seen as an earlier-than-expected MLB return. But he went back on the IL after the Blue Jays start because of a hamstring injury.
Even if the Phillies don’t retaliate against the Braves on Wednesday, they’ll always have this on Strider:
RHYS SPIKE.#Postseason pic.twitter.com/6VYBHIk0AU
— MLB (@MLB) October 14, 2022
Painter, Abel To Start This Week
Phils top prospect Andrew Painter will make his fourth start for the IronPigs on Wednesday, Thomson told reporters prior to Tuesday’s game, and his final start before the calendar turns to June, which means the 22-year-old's promotion to the big leagues could be about a month away.
Thomson reiterated that Painter’s call-up is still planned for sometime in July, which leaves Painter about four more starts in Triple-A after Wednesday before he takes the main stage, if we’re buying what Thomson is selling. So far, he's 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 15 innings since his promotion to Lehigh Valley.
The Phillies still haven’t said whose spot in the rotation Painter would take, or if the team would move to a six-man rotation. After another gem by Ranger Suárez on Tuesday against the Braves – eight strikeouts on four hits in six shutout innings – the Phillies have the NL’s most wins by starting pitchers (23) and MLB’s fourth-lowest ERA among starters (3.15).
As for another pitching prospect, Mick Abel's next turn for the IronPigs is expected to be on Friday. Abel, once a top prospect who struggled to an ERA over 6.00 last year in Double- and Triple-A, has bounced back in 2025 and could either help the main club or become a valuable trade piece.
Abel struck out nine in his MLB debut for the Phils on May 18 in six scoreless innings against the Pirates before going back to Lehigh Valley and striking out eight in six innings while allowing just one run in his last start. Abel is 6-2 with a 2.41 ERA for the IronPigs, with 59 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings.
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