Harper slipped on the bag, had to be helped off field. It’s been raining the entire night: pic.twitter.com/O8HSQc0sMk
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) August 13, 2017
The wet weather in Washington, D.C. has put a damper on the Giants’ weekend series against the Nationals, and on Saturday night, the rain impacted more than just the start time of the game.
After Saturday evening’s contest was delayed three hours, disaster struck for Washington in the bottom half of the first inning.
Star outfielder Bryce Harper exited the game in the bottom of the first inning after slipping on the first base bag and twisting his knee in an injury that could rob the Nationals of one of the game’s most talented players for an extended period.
After rapping a Jeff Samardzija pitch to the right side of the infield, Harper attempted to beat Giants’ first baseman Ryder Jones to the first base bag and secure an infield hit. Jones made a diving stop to snag Harper’s grounder, and then darted to the bag just in time to beat Harper and record the out.
But as Harper reached the bag, he slipped on the wet base and took a brutal tumble along the first base line.
Harper needed to be helped off the field, and didn’t put any pressure on his knee.
Even though the Giants and Nationals waited three hours to begin Saturday’s game, it was still wet and raining when the game did start.
After being rained out on Friday night, the Giants and Nationals will play a split double-header on Sunday.