Jake Bird clapped his glove, and Bryce Harper clapped back.
The Rockies took a 4-0 win over the Phillies on Sunday afternoon, but before the lights dimmed on the matchup, Bryce Harper wanted to dim some lights of his own.
Harper stormed the field and was promptly ejected after Rockies reliever Jake Bird appeared to taunt the Phillies' dugout in the middle of the seventh inning. Bird clapped his glove and appeared to direct some pleasantries, drawing an enraged Harper onto the field.
— Polar Bear Fan (@MPsMP4s) May 14, 2023
Cameras caught Bird taunting the bench, followed by Harper making his way out.
Harper was going at it with Rockies pitcher Jake Bird after Bird clapped his glove at him pic.twitter.com/ZU7bpJU8kn
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 14, 2023
Harper and Bird were ejected for their roles in the altercation.
Harper also had a few choice words for members of the Rockies on his way off the field.
"You're a loser f—ing organization. Every single one of you," Harper said, per a clip shared on Twitter by Nick Piccone.
MORE: SN's MLB scoreboard
"I get emotion. I understand getting fired up after an inning and stuff like that, but once you make it about a team, or make it about yourself, that's when I've got a problem with it," Harper said, per Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "You guys saw my reaction. I wasn't very happy."
Harper also questioned Bird's bravery after the Phillies charged toward him, even after Bird motioned for Harper to fight through the people holding him back and come meet him.
"He did what he did and after that he kind of flew away. Went into the dugout," Harper said.
Bard admitted being overly exuberant walking off the mound.
"I think I got to keep it within and to myself," he said, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. "There's nothing personal. I just got a little fired up."
Earlier in the inning, Philly manager Rob Thomson was ejected for arguing balls and strikes. Another controversy followed when the Phillies weren't allowed to challenge a neighborhood call at second base.
The Rockies took Game 3 of the series after the Phillies took the first two games in Colorado.
MORE: Cameras catch Tim Anderson mouthing something unflattering in Chicago
It's not the first time — and likely won't be the last — that Harper has been involved in a tiff. He famously threw punches with then-Giants reliever Hunter Strickland in 2017, and he got into it with former teammate Jonathan Papelbon while with the Nationals in 2015.
If there was any question that Harper was back to 100 percent following his return from Tommy John surgery, then Sunday's dust-up is proof that he truly is.
