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Exactly one month after signing his $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, Bryce Harper made his official debut for the team in a 10-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day.
The crowd at Citizens Bank Park was all smiles, though Harper didn’t provide many highlights during the game. He finished 0-for-3 with two strikeouts; however, his intentional walk in the bottom of the seventh set up Rhys Hoskins’ grand slam.
Philadelphia Phillies @Phillies
Intentionally walk @bryceharper3 to load the bases for @rhyshoskins?
Sure. #RingTheBell https://t.co/qCQT6Igjhs
Before the first pitch was thrown, Phillies fans sitting in right field showed their appreciation for Harper by greeting him with a standing ovation:
That came after the entire stadium erupted into vociferous cheers during pregame introductions:
It would be an understatement to say Harper has embraced his new role as Philadelphia’s favorite major leaguer. The 2015 National League MVP played directly to the crowd by arriving at the stadium wearing a very Philly T-shirt:
Harper followed up that piece of attire by wearing these customized cleats on the field:
There wasn’t 100 percent love throughout the day for Harper. His back-to-back strikeouts in his first two plate appearances did elicit some negative reactions:
Mark Feinsand @Feinsand
If you had “Under 2.5” on the number of at-bats it would take for Harper to hear any boos in Philly, you win! Bryce strikes out with a runner on third here in the fourth, brining out a handful of jeers. Not many, but not none, either.
Since Philadelphia isn’t exactly known for its sports optimism, it’s not a complete shock to see some people ready to turn on Harper immediately.
The good news is the Phillies dominated the defending National League East champions in the season opener, and Harper still has 161 more games in 2019 to showcase the skills that landed him the second-richest contract in Major League Baseball history.
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