The Nationals #1 draft pick Bryce Harper made his 2011 Spring Training debut and as the pic and the headline says, twice the phenom went down on strikes — swinging at a breaking pitch in the dirt the first time on an 0-2 count and missing a 1-2 fastball in his second AB. He had come into the game as a pinch-runner for DH Matt Stairs.
The Washington Nationals won the game 9-3, highlighted by a pair of two-run home runs by Michael Morse in the 7th and 9th innings, both of which preceded Harper’s strikeouts.
Wilson Ramos got the start behind the plate and went 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored, while Danny Espinosa went 1-for-2 with HBP while playing 2B. No baserunners tried to steal against Ramos while Espinosa started a 4-6-3 double play in the second inning.
Other notable prospects…
- Corey Brown replaced Nyjer Morgan in CF and went 0-for-2 with a strikeout.
- Brian Broderick pitched the 6th inning and allowed one hit while striking out one.
- Adam Carr finished the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning and also struck out one.
The two teams play each other tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. in Viera.