Philadelphia Phillies fans held their collective breath as superstar outfielder Bryce Harper was hit by a 97 mph fastball right in his hand, leading to a broken thumb.

The 2021 MVP was sizing up San Diego Padres pitcher Blake Snell in a lefty-lefty matchup when the fastball went high and in, leaving Harper writhing in pain:

The Phillies star was immediately heated after getting socked in the hand, leading to him lashing out and letting his emotions run high. The Padres fans at Petco Park immediately started to boo him after hearing his shouts in the previously silent stadium:

https://twitter.com/BrodesMedia/status/1540895782710149121

But a closer examination of what went down reveals that Bryce Harper ended with trying to make amends with Blake Snell. The Padres pitcher tried to apologize, and the Phillies star mouthed that he understood it wasn't intentional:

“I know you weren't trying to do it,” said Bryce Harper.

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The emotional outburst from Bryce Harper was forgivable given just how much time he could potentially miss should he need surgery, which remains to be seen:

Harper was having another world-class season with the Phillies, which if sustained could have put him in serious contention for his third MVP award and the second in two seasons. Now the team needs to regroup without him and hope they can sneak into the postseason with their best player on the mend.