WASHINGTON _ Bryce Harper listened Tuesday night as a chorus of boos provided the soundtrack for his return to Washington.
He was jeered at Nationals Park during pregame introductions. The crowd booed when he walked to the plate. They hissed when he ran to right field. Harper, after seven seasons as Washington's hero, returned as the villain.
And then Harper stood at second base in the sixth inning of an emphatic 8-2 win, pumped his fists at the Phillies dugout, and roared. Harper had put the Phillies ahead by six runs. The Phillies were 12 outs from starting the season 4-0 for the first time since 1915. Harper had silenced the boos. It was time to be cheered.
The large contingent of Phillies fans who turned the ballpark in D.C.'s Navy Yard into Citizens Bank Park South chanted "M-V-P" at Harper. When the home fans booed in response, the visiting fans chanted "We-Got-Harper." Harper stood at second base like a conductor controlling the orchestra. But he wasn't yet finished.
He provided an exclamation point in the eighth inning by slamming a two-run homer into the second deck in right field. Harper crushed a fastball by former Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson. Harper tossed his bat high in the air as it flipped end-over-end. The Nationals fans were sent to the exits by the player they once revered by had come to vilify.
Phillies starter Zach Eflin tied a career high with nine strikeouts in five innings.
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 for Philadelphia.
It was evident in the right-field stands 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 when 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.
Harper stood shortly before the game 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 waiting to emerge from the dugout and tip his cap if the fans who once revered him opted to 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.
Two hours later, that would change. Harper jogged to right field after the Phillies scored four runs in the sixth inning. The Phillies fans who filled a section in right field cheered and Harper responded by ripping off his cap and bowing.
It was how Harper had started each of the team's first three home games. Now he was taking his act on the road. Harper made himself at home as a visitor in his old hometown.
