For the second year in a row, the Atlanta Braves have been sent home packing by their NL East Division rivals the Philadelphia Phillies. Despite a 104-win regular season, America’s Team was knocked out of the NLDS, 3 games to 1, thanks in large part to some home run heroics by two-time National League MVP, Bryce Harper, that the slugger sealed with a stare (Well, two of them, actually).
Bryce Harper is a two-time MVP and former first-overall pick in the MLB Draft | SCREENSHOT: PastimeAthletics/YouTube
It all started when Arcia kept mockingly saying, “Ha-Ha, Atta-boy, Harper!”, in front of members of the media in Atlanta’s clubhouse after Game 2, according to FOX Sports.
“(My teammates) just kind of told me,” Harper said when asked how he heard about Arcia’s comments. “And they looked at me, and they were like, ‘What are you going to do?'”
That’s when Bryce Harper decided to drop a load of lumber on the shortstop’s head, swinging the big stick – not once, but twice – in Philly’s 10-2 win in Game 3 of the series. Both times, he made sure to stare down Arcia, and he made no bones about doing so after the game, either.
RELATED: Phillies Bryce Harper Strikes Out, Gets Ejected, Launches Helmet Into Stands
“Yeah, I stared right at him,” Harper said after the game when asked in his postgame interview about locking eyes with Arcia. “It’s just a game. It’s fun. Everybody played a really good game. That’s what it’s all about.”
Bryce Harper and the Phillies would go on to eliminate the Braves in four games and are once again back in the National League Championship Series. They’ll host the Arizona Diamondbacks for Game 1 of the NLCS, which starts on Monday.
The Snakes swallowed up the Dodgers with a simple sweep on the other side of the National League bracket. Now, the D-Backs look to return to their first World Series since 2001, while Philly will try to make amends after losing last year’s Fall Classic to the Astros.
FOLLOW RYAN BOMAN ON X
NEXT: A Fan In A ‘Virginity Rocks’ Speedo Invades The Orioles Vs. Rangers ALDS Game