Bryce Harper: Nationals Hecklers Crossed a Line Last Night
By Kyle Koster
Bryce Harper was heckled mercilessly in Washington last night, which is par for the course there and, really, pretty much anywhere when you're a player of his stature. So it was a bit surprising to see him go on the record with a complaint that the jeering ran afoul of his personal standards for such antagonism.
Bryce Harper on heckling from right field fans at Nationals Park tonight: "They were fine all game, talking about myself and things like that. I get it everywhere I go. That's nothing new. But the last two innings, it's just not right. It's not right."
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) September 26, 2019
"... I owe a lot to those people up there in Philly because they show up for me every single night and they're there to cheer us on and boo us and keep us going as a team and as individuals as well. I'm looking forward to the next 12 years. Can't wait."
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) September 26, 2019
When you bring his son or family into it, yes you’re crossing a line. Stick to your overused overrated and Harper sucks chants if you’re really that loser that goes to a game to heckle someone. Phillies fans might boo him but they don’t bring his 4 week old son into it. Classless https://t.co/NVj3ixyrPY
— Kayla Harper (@kayyharper8) September 26, 2019
This is one of the first times in sports history that an athlete has pined for the warm, cozy, family-friendly atmosphere of a Philadelphia ballpark. There are scores of people waking up to read Harper's quote in Bucks County that are going to pass out from the shock of how soft the once-proud city has become.
One can forgive D.C.-area fans for feeling big in their britches. Their side is headed to the playoffs while the Phillies are sitting at .500. Harper has rebounded from a down 2018 in his first year with his new club, but his efforts weren't enough to overcome some deficiencies elsewhere.
Interestingly enough, the highlight of Harper's season was shutting a heckler the hell up in San Francisco with an immediate and majestic home run. It goes to show that a person can only take so much guff and 81 away games really add up.