Bryce Harper's Performance on Saturday Can Only Be Described as 'Platinum'

Saturday's game against the New York Yankees is probably one that Bryce Harper would like to put behind him...and fast.

In the 14-inning loss suffered at the hands of the Yankees, Harper went a pitiful 0-for-7 with five strikeouts. When a player strikes out four times in a contest, he is "awarded" with what is called a golden sombrero.

Five strikeouts? Well, it doesn't really happen too often. When it does, it's given the term "platinum" sombrero.

Here it is, just in case you don't believe me.

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Bryce Harper with the platinum sombrero. Yankees and Nationals tied, 3-3, and off to the 13th.

— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) June 16, 2012

 

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Harper, who was playing center field and batting second, just did not have any luck at the dish.

Andy Pettitte absolutely owned Harper on Saturday. He pitched to the 19-year-old as a 40-year-old and 17-year veteran should, causing Harper to lunge at many off-speed pitches and swing through pitches that would have been hittable had he been a little more patient.

In his fourth at-bat against Pettitte, Harper was given a steady diet of cutters. He took a fastball to the warning track in left-center field, but Curtis Granderson was able to haul it in.

Clay Rapada caught him looking in the bottom of the 10th inning (Rapada's only batter of the game), and Freddy Garcia got him swinging in the bottom of the 13th in his first appearance since June 5.

Both the Washington Nationals and Harper would like to forget about Saturday's game and focus on Sunday's Father's Day matchup. The Nationals will be looking to salvage the final game of the three-game set at home against the Yankees, and they are hoping that Edwin Jackson will be just the man do it.