Things could have been a lot worse for the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.
In the first inning of the Phillies' eventual 2-0 win over the Atlanta Braves, superstar first baseman Bryce Harper wore a 95-mile-per-hour fastball from pitcher Spencer Strider straight to his surgically-repaired right elbow. He walked off with the training staff and was lifted for a pinch-runner.
There were some tense moments thereafter as the Phillies and their fans waited for news. But then, Harper's x-rays came back negative so everyone could breathe a sigh of relief.
After the game, manager Rob Thomson sounded off on his thoughts as the injury, which was diagnosed as an "elbow contustion" went down.
"I was anxious," Thomson said, per Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "But I'm happy there's no break, for sure."
Thomson also emphasized that he did not believe there was any intent from Strider, who was visibly upset and made it clear after the game that the pitch got away from him. He was just worried about the potential for a season-altering injury, which seems to be off the table.
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"Whenever one of your top hitters -- or your best hitter -- gets hit like that, there's always a concern [about] a little crack in the bone or whatever," Thomson said. "He's certainly in a lot of pain, but he's a tough guy, too."
For now, Harper and the Phillies will take things day-to-day, and they can afford to do so because they've built up a 35-19 record, the best in Major League Baseball. What matters is having the 32-year-old slugger, who is off to a decent start with an OPS of .823, ready for the stretch run.
The Phillies continue their series with Atlanta on Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. EST.