MLB star Bryce Harper was hit in the face with a 97-mph fastball and somehow avoided serious damage

• Bryce Harper was hit in the face by a 97-mph fastball from a St. Louis Cardinals pitcher.
• Harper had to leave the game, and then his teammate Didi Gregorious was also hit by the same pitcher.
• Harper posted a video after the game to assure fans that he was okay.

Bryce Harper took a 97-mph fastball to the face on Wednesday night.

The Philadelphia Phillies star outfielder came up in the top of the sixth inning to face St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Génesis Cabrera with the game tied 3-3 at Busch Stadium. Cabrera had just come into the game, and his first pitch drilled Harper on the right side of his face between his nose and cheek.

Harper fell to the ground after the hit and slowly got up, revealing a slight blood drip from the side of his face. He was able to walk off the field under his own power but did not return to the game.

Harper was much luckier than another star player who was once hit in the face. New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton was hit in the face with an 88-mph fastball when he was with The Miami Marlins in 2014 from then-Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Mike Fiers. Stanton suffered multiple fractures and a facial laceration and required seven surgeries, including two corneal transplants.

But Harper seems like he'll be able to tough it out and return to the field soon. After the game, Harper posted a video on Instagram showing that he hadn't sustained any serious facial damage and assured fans that he was okay.

Cabrera was still expressively regretful after hitting Harper, squatting to the ground in remorse. Cabrera made his MLB debut against The Phillies in May of 2019 and gave up a two-run home run to Harper in his first outing.

Cabrera took a few moments to collect himself before returning to the mound to face shortstop Didi Gregorious. Still, on his very next pitch, Cabrera nailed Gregorious in the ribs with a 95 mph fastball. Gregorious also collapsed in pain and had to walk off the field but did return to the game.

The subsequent hit on Gregorious forced the umpires to issue warnings to both dugouts. Phillies manager Joe Girardi came out to argue that Cabrera should be ejected from the game. But umpires instead threw Girardi out for protesting, as he made an aggressive ejection gesture as they tried to walk him back to the dugout.

"If a guy hits a guy in the face and a guy in the ribs with two pitches, he's got to go, right?" Girardi said in a virtual press conference after the game. "If you're really protecting the players, obviously, he doesn't have command. He's got to go."

After giving up two baserunners on two pitches, Cabrera gave up the go-ahead run on an RBI single to outfielder Andrew McCutchen. Gregorious came back to tack on another run in the seventh inning with a sac-fly, helping the Phillies secure a 5-3 victory.

Cabrera apologized after the game in a virtual press conference.

"I'm very sorry for the entire situation. My prayers go out to Bryce Haper. I hope he can get back to baseball activities rather sooner ... the plan was just to come inside with a fastball. I wasn't feeling it that well, and it kind of slipped upon release," Cabrera said via a translator. "I feel like I was overthrowing, and that's why I missed the pitches."