Showered by raindrops and jeers for much of the game, Bryce Harper put a bat-flipping, celebratory finish on his memorable return to Washington.
Harper crushed a long home run in his final at-bat, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Nationals 8-2 Tuesday night for the franchise's best start in over a century.
Maikel Franco also homered for the Phillies, baseball’s only undefeated team at 4-0. They had only done that in 1915 and 1897. What’s more, the Phils’ 103-year streak without a 4-0 start was the longest in any of the four major sports (MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL), per the Elias Sports Bureau.
Harper left Washington after playing 927 games over seven years, participating in six All-Star Games and winning the 2015 NL MVP Award. He listened to what the Nationals had to offer, then signed a $330 million, 13-year contract with the rival Phillies in February.
Harper hasn't wasted any time providing returns for the investment. He has three homers and five RBIs in four games, along with a .429 batting average. He drove in three Tuesday.
Booed during every at-bat, Harper thumped a "take that," 458-foot shot in the eighth inning off Jeremy Hellickson. As the ball soared toward the second deck in right field, Harper flipped his bat and circled the bases with delight before celebrating with his new teammates in the visiting dugout.
"It's the emotion of the game. That's it. That's about it," he said of the bat flip.
But man, that home run sure felt good.
“I was pretty fired up. I was excited,” he said. “I was trying to get back to my teammates as quick as possible and do all my handshakes.”
Harper crushed a long home run in his final at-bat, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Nationals 8-2 Tuesday night for the franchise's best start in over a century.
Maikel Franco also homered for the Phillies, baseball’s only undefeated team at 4-0. They had only done that in 1915 and 1897. What’s more, the Phils’ 103-year streak without a 4-0 start was the longest in any of the four major sports (MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL), per the Elias Sports Bureau.
Harper left Washington after playing 927 games over seven years, participating in six All-Star Games and winning the 2015 NL MVP Award. He listened to what the Nationals had to offer, then signed a $330 million, 13-year contract with the rival Phillies in February.
Harper hasn't wasted any time providing returns for the investment. He has three homers and five RBIs in four games, along with a .429 batting average. He drove in three Tuesday.
Booed during every at-bat, Harper thumped a "take that," 458-foot shot in the eighth inning off Jeremy Hellickson. As the ball soared toward the second deck in right field, Harper flipped his bat and circled the bases with delight before celebrating with his new teammates in the visiting dugout.
"It's the emotion of the game. That's it. That's about it," he said of the bat flip.
But man, that home run sure felt good.
“I was pretty fired up. I was excited,” he said. “I was trying to get back to my teammates as quick as possible and do all my handshakes.”
