Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies stares down Orlando Arcia of the Atlanta Braves, following drama between the two. Photo via @Phillies
Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies showed no mercy in last night’s game versus the Braves.
In Game 2 of the NLDS, Atlanta stormed back after the Phillies took the lead. Bryce Harper was thrown out at first base to end the game after straying a bit too far. Following that game, Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia yelled “Ha-ha, attaboy, Harper!” several times, mocking the superstar. But in Game 3, he and the Braves learned to not poke the bear.
But the Bear Responds
Bryce responded with a monster three-run shot which (presumably) landed miles away in the upper deck of Citizens Bank Park. As he trotted around the bases, Harper shot Arcia a cold look, as Arcia stared down at the ground, refusing to look back. But later in the game, Harper took another pitch deep and stared down Arcia again, with the two exchanging eyes and the message being received this time.
All in all, the Phillies hit six dingers in last night’s game, sending the red-and-blue faithful into a frenzy. It would end up tying a postseason record, on a night where another postseason record was broken by another team: the Diamondbacks hitting four homers in one inning, including a dinger which came immediately after one was taken off the board for being foul.
“It’s a super competitive game that we play, from both sides of the ball,” Harper said after the game. “And I enjoy commentary and things…Anytime anybody says something, right? I mean that’s what it’s all about.”
“There’s one person I would never talk about,” Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said. “It’s that guy [Harper]. We don’t call him the showman for nothing.”
Arcia did admit that Harper was not meant to hear the comments, but alas, they got out.
“He wasn’t supposed to hear it,” Arcia said via the Braves’ translator. “That’s why we were talking in the clubhouse…When you’re in the clubhouse, I’m under the impression you can say whatever you wanted [sic]. I guess it was something that was reported.”
The Phillies would end up creaming the Braves, storming to a 10-2 victory. They are now up 2-1 in the series. One more win, and they advance to play the aforementioned Diamondbacks in the NLCS. If you thought the chaos was over, it’s just getting started.
