Phillies' Bryce Harper Tosses His Helmet into Stands After Being Ejected, Then Signs It for a Young Fan

The fan said the Phillies star is his favorite player and Thursday night’s game was “the best baseball game he’s ever been to.”

Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper accidentally brightened a young fan’s night after being ejected from Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Harper, 30, became visibly upset after umpire Ángel Hernández ejected him on a check swing strike during the third inning of the game.

The Phillies star tried to argue the call with Hernández during the emotional outburst on the field, but ultimately failed. Before returning to the dugout, Harper tossed his helmet into the stands of cheering fans who booed the ejection.

The helmet ended up in the hands of 10-year-old Hayden Dorfman, he says Philadelphia Inquirer.

Philadelphia Phillies’ Bryce Harper discusses a call during the third inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, in Philadelphia.

Matt Rourke/AP Photo

“He was approached by several security guards and told that Harper wanted to sign,” InquirerPhillies writer Alex Coffey, he wrote in a post on Xformerly known as Twitter.

Later, Dorfman recalled to the news outlet how they “wanted to go to Shake Shack after I finished going to the bathroom [when] the security guards started calling us. They said, ‘Harper wants to sign it!'”

The young fan added: “They took him and said he’d be back in 20 minutes.”

Hayden Dorfman, 10, of Voorhees, N.J., wears a helmet autographed by Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Bryce Harper during a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023.

Daniel Gelston/AP Photo

Who is Bryce Harper’s wife? All about Kayla Harper

A young fan told Inquirer Harper is his favorite player and Thursday night’s game was “the best baseball game he’s ever been to” after receiving a signed helmet from the Phillies star.

Harper’s sweet gesture comes not long after the right fielder helped a lost 7-year-old boy named Caleb find his family on Aug. 4 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Taryn Hatcher, reporter for NBC Sports Philadelphia, he shared the video Harper sitting next to the boy and asking where his brothers are. The young cheerleader, visibly upset and wiping her tears, then pointed to where they were sitting in the stands.

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After Harper helped reunite the boy and his brothers, the group posed for a selfie that Hatcher later shared on X.

According to MLB, Caleb got separated from his brothers when they went to take pictures with Phillies players and coaches as part of the team’s promotional photo night.

Harper is a dad himself. He shares a son Krewa Aron (3) and a daughter Brooklyn Elizabeth (2) with his wife Kayla.

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Source: HIS Education