It was exactly one month ago that Bryce Harper ended his free agency saga, inking a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. On Tuesday, he'll step into the batter's box at Nationals Park as a visitor for the first time.
Ahead of his return to Washington, Harper took to Instagram to post a long-awaited message for Nationals fans. The slugger thanked the organization, the fans and the city for their support during his time there, and also recalled some of his favorite memories and pieces of the city.
View this post on Instagram
If you would have told me 5 years ago I would be walking into Nationals Park as an opposing player, I would’ve told you that you were crazy. Five years later, I’m doing just that. I remember the first day I walked into Nats Park. My first base hit. My first home run. And, of course, my first standing ovation. Nationals fans delivered that first ovation. The things that I will miss most are the relationships I gained on a personal level with so many of the Nationals staff and workers around the ballpark. Every day I walked in, I got a smile or shared a laugh with you. I especially want to thank The Lerner Family and Mike Rizzo for the unwavering support they showed me during my tenure in DC. The city of DC was home. Filomena’s, The Silver Diner, The Italian store, and countless other places helped make it feel like home. You, Nationals fans, made me one of your own for the entire time I was a part of the Nationals organization. I’m so blessed to have been able to play for a fan base that cared so much about our team each and every night. You will always hold a special place in my heart no matter what. I look forward to continuing Harpers Heroes with LLS in the DMV as well as making sure the legacy fields bearing my name are the best youth fields in town! When I run on the field tonight I am sure to hear some boos, but I will always remember the cheers and the screams that are still with me right now, as I start my new chapter. So for that, DC, THANK YOU.
A post shared by Bryce Harper (@bryceharper3) on Apr 2, 2019 at 7:05am PDT
The message, in full:
If you would have told me 5 years ago I would be walking into Nationals Park as an opposing player, I would've told you that you were crazy. Five years later, I'm doing just that. I remember the first day I walked into Nats Park. My first base hit. My first home run. And, of course, my first standing ovation. Nationals fans delivered that first ovation.
The things that I will miss most are the relationships I gained on a personal level with so many of the Nationals staff and workers around the ballpark. Every day I walked in, I got a smile or shared a laugh with you. I especially want to thank The Lerner Family and Mike Rizzo for the unwavering support they showed me during my tenure in DC.
The city of DC was home. Filomena's, The Silver Diner, The Italian store, and countless other places helped make it feel like home. You, Nationals fans, made me one of your own for the entire time I was a part of the Nationals organization. I'm so blessed to have been able to play for a fan base that cared so much about our team each and every night. You will always hold a special place in my heart no matter what. I look forward to continuing Harpers Heroes with LLS in the DMV as well as making sure the legacy fields bearing my name are the best youth fields in town!
When I run on the field tonight I am sure to hear some boos, but I will always remember the cheers and the screams that are still with me right now, as I start my new chapter. So for that, DC, THANK YOU.
Harper anticipates some boos but it will be interesting to see what the split is between bitter boos and grateful cheers on Tuesday night. Fans in the Philadelphia market can stream the game via fuboTV (Try for free).
Heading into the offseason, Nationals fans seemed to recognize that it was inevitable Harper would leave, but they may let him have it for choosing to go to a division rival.
Either way, it sounds like Harper is thankful for his time there and at peace with whatever reception comes his way. The return is just another chapter in what has been an eventful week for the 26-year-old. Not only did he hit his first two home runs for the Phillies over the weekend, but he also announced on Monday that he's expecting his first child later this year.
