Bryce Harper did not need the extra motivation, but his teammates were thrilled to offer it to him. When he got to work today, there they all were, telling him one after another that Atlanta shortstop Orlando Arcia had taunted him after Game 2 of the National League Division Series, which ended when Harper was thrown out on the bases in a wild 8-5-3 double play.
“They looked at me,” Harper said, “and they were like, ‘What are you going to do?’”
What he did was crush two home runs, one to give the Phillies the lead and the other to put the game out of reach, as Philadelphia won Game 3, 10–2, to take a 2–1 lead in the best-of-five NLDS. What he did was stare at Arcia as he rounded second both times. What he did was provide the Phillies with another signature moment in a postseason career full of them.
