Chicago Cubs

Did Bryce Harper Cheat to Beat Kyle Schwarber in the Home Run Derby?

Harper bested Schwarber in the final round of Monday's derby

Nothing gets tongues wagging like a good conspiracy theory, and a new one has emerged about Chicago Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber and his Home Run Derby loss to Bryce Harper.

Harper, the hometown hero for the Washington Nationals who won the Derby at Nationals Park on Monday, has been the subject of criticism on the part of Cubs fans on social media, who say that he cheated in order to win the competition.

The alleged cheating took place as Harper was hitting in the final round of the competition. Trailing Schwarber, Harper mounted a massive comeback, but it appeared that his father was throwing him pitches before previous balls landed, a violation of the rules of the derby.

Naturally, Cubs fans took to Twitter, using the hashtag #Justice4Schwarber, to plead their case:

Extensive research by other outlets, including SB Nation, showed that Harper did indeed receive pitches early, but other hitters did as well, thereby negating at least some of the impact in their eyes.

Finally, there is nothing in the MLB rulebook that can be used to retroactively alter the result or even punish a player during the derby for violating rules, so it seems as though Schwarber’s case is likely to fall on deaf ears.

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