A year ago, the Nationals were on the outside looking in of the Major League Baseball postseason with one of the league’s biggest stars on their team.
Now, that same team is headed to the World Series without that star.
Bryce Harper, as you probably know, left Washington after seven seasons to join the Philadelphia Phillies on a record-breaking 13-year deal. The Phillies failed to reach the postseason, while the Nationals await the winner of the American League Champion Series between the New York Yankees and Houston Astros.
But the 27-year-old is happy for his former team.
“I think it’s about being able to be the person that I am and not saying to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I’m not a National.’ Or, ‘Oh my gosh, those guys are doing what they’re doing. I can’t believe it. I’m so jealous,'” Harper told The Athletic’s Jayson Stark. “No. I’m so happy for them. You know how hard it is to get into the postseason and win games. For them to be able to put it together this year the way they have, it’s an amazing thing.”
Harper knows at the end of the day, he’s responsible for his own decisions.
“I made my decision, and that was my decision,” Harper said. “And it was the final decision that I made. You know, jealousy isn’t good. For me, it’s about having the gratitude to go out and do what I do each day and not having an attitude toward anybody else.”
Houston currently has a 3-2 series lead on the Yankees with Game 6 slated for Saturday night. The World Series begins Tuesday, Oct. 22.
