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Nationals fans troll Bryce Harper, Phillies announcer Tom McCarthy following World Series win

It didn’t help that Harper misspoke during his Phillies introduction, when he said “we want to bring a title back to D.C.”

Washington Nationals fans had two targets following their World Series victory: Phillies slugger Bryce Harper (left) and NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcaster Tom McCarthy.
Washington Nationals fans had two targets following their World Series victory: Phillies slugger Bryce Harper (left) and NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcaster Tom McCarthy.Read moreStaff photo / NBC Sports Philadelphia / Staff photo / NBC Sports Philadelphia
    by Rob Tornoe
    Published 

Nationals fans were predictably ecstatic following the team’s World Series win over the Houston Astros Wednesday night, Washington’s first title since Walter Johnson’s Senators in 1924. But amid all the cheers and celebrations, Nationals fans still found time to troll the Phillies.

The natural target was superstar Bryce Harper, who bolted from Washington, D.C. during the off-season to sign a massive, 13-year contract with the Phillies. Harper spoke highly of his former team during an interview with The Athletic earlier this month, where he told Jayson Stark he’s happy about the Nationals’ success.

“You know how hard it is to get into the postseason and win games,” Harper said. "For them to be able to put it together this year the way they have, it’s an amazing thing.”

But those comments didn’t prevent Harper from being a target on social media. It didn’t help that he misspoke during his Phillies introductory press conference when he said “we want to bring a title back to D.C.”

Another less-obvious target was Phillies broadcaster Tom McCarthy, the play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports Philadelphia. During the Phillies’ first game of the season, which was against the Nationals on April 3, McCarthy roasted fans who cheered after Harper struck out during the first inning.

“The Nats have never won a world championship since coming back to D.C., but they’re celebrating as if they’ve won something," McCarthy said during the broadcast. That clip was widely shared on social media by Nationals fans.

The Phillies connections don’t end there. As my colleague Matt Breen pointed out in this morning’s Extra Innings newsletter, a key reason the Nationals won the World Series was Howie Kendrick, whom the Phillies traded to Washington in July 2017:

Kendrick’s two-run homer gave them a lead Wednesday night in the seventh inning. His 10th-inning grand slam had put the Nationals ahead in the deciding game of the NLDS against the Dodgers, and he was named the MVP of the NLCS after powering the Nats to a sweep of the Cardinals.