LOS ANGELES — Bryce Harper’s historically rapid return from Tommy John surgery brought with it questions surrounding timing, particularly his ability to catch up to major league pitching after spending so much of these past five months focused mostly on rehabilitation.
A different type of timing presented an obstacle.
Harper used his designated timeout during a two-strike count in his first at-bat against the Los Angeles Dodgers then again on a two-strike count in his second at-bat then again before even seeing the first pitch in his third. Harper, famously deliberate with his routine between and before pitches, wasn’t merely playing in his first game of the season on Tuesday night. He was playing in his first game with a pitch clock, one of several new regulations introduced for the 2023 season. It’s going to take some getting used to.
“Your whole life, your whole career, you’ve always slowed the game down,” Harper said after the Philadelphia Phillies’ 13-1 loss from Dodger Stadium. “I took a long time from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box. And also in between pitches, I’d take a while. So, definitely an adjustment period. I just got to figure that out — figure out what I want to do, how I want to do it, use my timeouts when I need to and understand the game’s going to be at a quicker pace for the foreseeable future.”
Harper, who batted third while serving as the designated hitter, went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in what amounted to the second straight night in which the Dodgers scored 13 runs against the Phillies’ pitchers.
It was an unceremonious return but also a particularly challenging one.
Harper’s first assignment came in a left-on-left matchup against Julio Urias, who boasted the lowest ERA in the National League last season. Urias attacked Harper largely with breaking balls that tailed away from him, most of which Harper either fouled off or swung through. Harper whiffed on a 1-2 curveball low and outside in his first at-bat…
