Bryce Harper bummed to miss facing 'the best' in Shohei Ohtani

PHILADELPHIA --Bryce Harper and Shohei Ohtani each boast MVP and Rookie of the Year awards along with multiple All-Star Game appearances as two of baseball's preeminent faces.

Oh, Harper and Ohtani are also linked in a rather calamitous way: Each have torn ligaments in their right elbow.

Ohtani has sustained the injury twice, actually, and the latest has sidelined him from pitching for the Los Angeles Angels for the rest of the season. Harper returned to the NL champion Philadelphia Phillies lineup in May -- 160 days after Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

Harper and Ohtani were both in the starting lineup Monday night in the opener of a three-game series, which Philadelphia won 6-4. But Ohtani's injury denied the pitcher-hitter showdown against Harper -- MVP vs. MVP -- Philly fans hoped for in the weeks leading into the series.

One of those fans? Harper.

"I think we were all looking forward to it because he's one of the best is the game, on that mound and in the batter's box, as well," Harper said. "If you're going to be one of the best, you have to face the best, and that's him. So I think all of us were looking forward to it, but also thinking, 'Man, he's got some good stuff.' So we're bummed out and I just hope the best for him."

Harper, in the fifth season of a $330 million, 13-year contract, returned to first base after serving as the designated hitter the last six games because of a balky back.

Harper might be at first, but he wasn't ready to pitch -- well, at least make one to Ohtani about signing with the Phillies as the two-way talent heads to free agency. Ohtani was the AL MVP front-runner and was expected to receive perhaps the most lucrative contract in baseball history. There's no telling how much impact the elbow will have on the free agent market.

"He's going to go wherever he feels best, and if that's Anaheim or anywhere else, he's going to make the best decision for him and his family," Harper said. "Wherever he goes, they're going to get a great player and great person, as well. I think not just myself but everybody is kind of excited to see what happens with his career, and where he ends up going."

The Angels haven't said whether Ohtani will need surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament for the second time. Ohtani had his first Tommy John surgery in late 2018, following his AL Rookie of the Year season.

The two-way superstar leads the major leagues with 44 homers and is a 10-game winner. He left the mound in the second inning of last Wednesday's start againstCincinnatiafter throwing 26 pitches. Angels manager Phil Nevin said Ohtani's right elbow was fine until he tore his ulnar collateral ligament with a 94 mph fastball to Cincinnati's Christian Encarnacion-Strand.

"It's a huge bummer, not just for himself but everybody in baseball," Harper said. "He's one of the best to ever play and for him to get hurt the way he did, hopefully it's not too bad and he can come back, rehab from it, hopefully not have to go under the knife, and just be Shohei, because everybody loves watching him."

Ohtani ripped a single up the middle in the first inning Monday and went 1-for-4 with a strikeout.He also drew an intentional walk with two runners on in the fourth and the Angels ahead 3-1.

Ohtani was cheered during introductions by most of the 38,142 fans at Citizens Bank Park.He had one more fan at first.

"He gives everybody at a young age the opportunity to strive to be like that," Harper said. "Hopefully one day we'll have multiple players in the league doing what he's doing, because it is very special. He's one of the guys that can do it because he does have the body that he does and the mindset that he does."

Ohtani is just one home run and one stolen base shy of his second 45-20 season and would join Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez as the only players with multiple years with 45 homers and 20 steals.

Not everyone was sorry the Phillies missed Ohtani, the pitcher.

"We're fortunate," Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said. "You don't want to see anyone get hurt, obviously. But he's so dominant on the mound. I'd rather face somebody else."

Ohtani also leads the American League with a .409 on-base percentage and ranks among the top five in batting average and RBIs.

As for Harper, the achy back hasn't affected him much at the plate.He lined his sixth homer in the last 11 games into the right-field seats in the fourth inning Monday. Philadelphia has a majors-best 52 longballs this month and won for a fourth straight game to maintain its hold on the top spot in the National League wild-card race.

"It's felt good the last couple of games in the batter's box and swinging at strikes and understanding my strike zone," he said. "It's like it's all coming together. Hopefully, it stays that way."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.