Bryce Harper’s weekend got off to a rough start until he stepped up to the dish and let his bat do the talking.
The Philadelphia Phillies outfielder started the evening Friday night by striking out in his first two at-bats, which led to a wave of boos coming down from the Citizens Bank Park stands. Those fans quickly changed their ways when he smoked a two-run double in the fifth inning. That’s right, the boos turned to a standing ovation.
In the first inning of the Phillies’ Saturday afternoon matchup with the Colorado Rockies, he made sure there would be no early boo-birds by mashing a home run to dead center field. Mashing might actually be an understatement. This solo shot went well over the batter’s eye and the wall beyond that.
Check it out:
Bryce OVER the batter's eye. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/b3Lluj0neQ
— MLB (@MLB) May 18, 2019
Unbelievable.
The bomb’s projected distance was 466 feet, which, according to MLB Stats, is the longest home run by a Phillies player at Citizens Bank Park in the Statcast era.
Bryce 💣!
@bryceharper3 has the longest HR (466 ft) by a @Phillies player at home since the start of the Statcast Era. pic.twitter.com/FyARxDgbJc— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) May 18, 2019
It’s safe to say they’ll be no boos directed at Harper on Saturday in Philly.