Bryce Harper showered with boos by Nationals fans in first inning of Phillies-Nats game, but he gets his revenge with a home run, double

WASHINGTON -- Bryce Harper listened Tuesday night for two hours as a chorus of boos provided the soundtrack for his return to Washington.

The Nationals Park fans jeered him during pregame introductions. They hissed when he walked to the plate. They booed when ran to right field. And then Harper stood at second base in the sixth inning, pumped his fist at the Phillies dugout, and roared. Harper, the villain in his old home, had driven in the sixth Phillies run. It was time to be cheered.

The large contingent of fans who flocked from Philadelphia turned the ballpark in D.C.’s Navy Yard into Citizens Bank Park South, reminiscent of the way Phillies followers overtook Nationals Park during the team’s last great era. They chanted “M-V-P” as Harper stood at second. When the home fans responded with boos, Phillies fans chanted “We-Got-Harper.”

Harper sprinted to right field to start the bottom of the sixth, ripped off his cap, and bowed to the fans just as he did before each of the team’s first three home games. But this time, Harper was bowing to Phillies fans who filled one of the outfield sections. His return to Washington promised to be great theater. But the theater proved to be even better than expected.

In the eighth inning, he homered to the same fans he had saluted, taking former Phillie Jeremy Hellickson deep to give the Phillies an 8-2 lead.

Harper said on Tuesday afternoon that he was unsure how his old fans would treat him. But as he walked to the plate for his first at-bat, there was no more wondering. It was then clear that Harper had become the enemy once he left Washington for Philadelphia.

If he looked to the right-field stands, he could see just how much vitriol his old fans were harboring. Seven fans in the front row wore white T-shirts spelling out “TRAITOR.” There were posters of Harper depicted as Benedict Arnold and a sign that said “PARDON PAPELBON,” a reference to the former Phillies closer who tried to strangle Harper when they were Nationals teammates. Each fly ball to right landed in Harper’s glove with an ovation of boos. He was even jeered when he handed a baseball to a fan after catching the last out of the fourth inning.

Harper spent the first seven seasons of his career in Washington, helping to define the franchise after it moved from Montreal. He led the Nationals to four postseason berths, won an MVP award, and provided an exhilarating moment last summer when he won the All-Star Home Run Derby in front of his home fans. But none of that provided any goodwill in his return.

The crowd drowned him in the first inning with he came to bat, hissing as soon as he stepped onto the on-deck circle. The boos followed him to the plate and paused only when Max Scherzer fired a strike past Harper. The fans cheered wildly when Harper struck out.

Shortly before the game, Harper stood at the base of the dugout steps and leaned against the bat rack as the public address announcer rattled off the Phillies lineup. It seemed as if Harper was ready to emerge from the dugout and tip his caps if the fans who once revered him would cheer when the announcer called his name. the right and then was driven in by Harper. Zach Eflin tied a career high with nine strikeouts in five innings.

Shortly before the game, Harper stood at the base of the dugout steps and leaned against the bat rack as the public-address announcer rattled off the Phillies’ lineup. It seemed as if Harper was ready to emerge from the dugout and tip his caps if the fans who once revered him would cheer when the announcer called his name.

Instead, the announcement of Harper’s name was greeted by the first boos of the night. Harper, ever so stoic, didn’t flinch. The scoreboard flashed a highlight package of Harper’s brightest moments in D.C. and the boos grew louder. Just four dugout steps separated Harper from the field, but there were no cheers to acknowledge. Three hours later, that would change.