BALTIMORE -- Bryce Harper fired his strongest throw of the Statcast™ Era to stop the would-be winning run from scoring in the 11th inning of Tuesday night's 5-4, 12-inning Nationals loss to the O's at Oriole Park.
J.J. Hardy was trying to score from second on a two-out single by Caleb Joseph off Jacob Turner, but Harper delivered a 99.7-mph rocket to catcher Matt Wieters, who applied the tag for the final out of the inning.
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:: 5 hardest-thrown OF assists of Statcast™ Era ::
"That's what stars do," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. "He had a good jump. He got a good ball to throw with, and he threw it on the money. He executed perfectly. That's how you draw it up."
As if anyone needed more proof that Harper is playing healthy and uninhibited this season, this was his third outfield assist of the year; he recorded five last season.
Harper's throw was the fastest outfield assist in the Majors this season, and it was tied for the 12th-strongest throw among outfield assists in the Statcast™ Era.