Matt Kemp crashed into the same part of Dodger Stadium wall that injured Bryce Harper.

Bryce Harper injury

Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper is walked off the field by Nationals head athletic trainer Lee Kuntz during the fifth inning of Monday’s game against the Dodgers. Harper received 11 stitches in his neck after crashing into the right-field wall in pursuit of a triple by Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis. (Andy Holzman/Staff photographer)

Matt Kemp has been where Bryce Harper was on Monday.

On April 9, 2007, the Dodgers played their first home game of the season and debuted the color scoreboard that’s embedded in the right-field wall — the same one that Harper crashed into nearly at full speed Monday.

Kemp, who was playing right field that day, acquainted himself by crashing shoulder-first into the scoreboard in pursuit of a fly ball by the Colorado Rockies’ Jeff Baker in the fourth inning. Kemp missed the ball and Baker, like A.J. Ellis on Monday, wound up on third base with a triple.

The scoreboard wasn’t padded that day, and no padding has been added since.

“It’s tough,” Kemp said. “I separated my shoulder doing that.”

Kemp didn’t return for two months after his injury.

Harper was examined and received 11 stitches in his neck. He did not suffer a concussion, as was originally feared, but was reportedly taken to a hospital.

“It looked bad,” Kemp said of Harper’s crash. “I was just praying that he was OK. Hopefully he doesn’t miss any time.”

(Click here for a photo gallery from tonight’s game)

This entry was posted in JP on the Dodgers, Postgame thoughts and tagged , by J.P. Hoornstra. Bookmark the permalink.

About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.