Bryce Harper wasn’t going to let Orlando Arcia live down his words.
After the Braves infielder trolled Harper earlier in the NLDS, Harper went deep twice in a 10-2 Game 3 win on Tuesday — going out of his way to stare at Arcia both times.
The spectacle stemmed from the end of Game 2 in Atlanta, which ended in dramatic fashion on a wild double play that Harper was on the wrong end of in the ninth inning.
Atlanta center fielder Michael Harris II robbed the Phillies’ Nicholas Castellanos of a would-be extra-base hit with a leaping catch at the wall, and Harper, who was on first, ran too far around the bases and was doubled off to end the game.
After the Braves’ win, Arcia was heard saying, “Ha-ha, atta-boy, Harper,” in the clubhouse, according to Fox Sports.
With the series knotted up at 1-1 and shifting to Philadelphia for Game 3, Harper seemed to shift things back into another gear, and he made sure to let Arcia know about it.
“[My teammates] looked at me,” Harper said after the game, “and they were like, ‘What are you going to do?’ … Yeah, I stared right at him.”
The Phillies went down early but tied things in the fourth, and with a chance to put them ahead, Harper did just that as he crushed a towering three-run homer 408 feet into the second deck in right field at Citizens Bank Park.
As he took his trot around the bases, the two-time National League MVP stared down Arcia as he hit and rounded second.
Two innings later, when Harper crushed a 414-foot solo blast to dead center field, Harper again gave Arcia a hard glance as he got to second base.
“He can look wherever he wants to look,” Arcia said through an interpreter after the game. “When you’re in the clubhouse, I was under the impression you could say whatever you wanted. He wasn’t supposed to hear it. That’s when we were talking in the clubhouse.”
“Just trying to set the tone at home,” Harper said. “There’s nothing like playing in front of this fan base. That’s a really good team over there, Elder had a great year. We just tried to put pressure on them early. [Phillies starter Aaron] Nola went out there and did his job. Really good win.”
Phillies manager Rob Thomson was thankful for the extra juice — even if Harper didn’t exactly need it.
“Yeah, you don’t need anything to motivate him,” Thomson said prior to Game 3. “But as I said yesterday, if … that adds to his motivation, then thank you.”
“He’s a Hall of Famer,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s one of those guys that loves that stage. He’s a special player. You put him in the spotlight, and he’s going to shine.”
It’s the second time in as many seasons that the Braves, a heavy favorite as the NL East champions, have struggled in the NLDS against the Phillies.
Last year, Philadelphia took the series in four games and is eyeing to do that again this season to advance to its second straight NLCS.
— With AP
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