After his comments inspired a dominant performance from Bryce Harper, Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia told reporters after Game 3 that he never intended for the Phillies slugger to hear his remarks.
After Game 2, a report from Fox Sports’s Jake Mintz indicated that Arcia was mocking Harper over his costly baserunning mistake that ended the game.
“Atta boy, Harper,” the shortstop reportedly said in Atlanta’s clubhouse after the win on Monday.
Arcia addressed the incident after Wednesday’s loss, via Spencer McKercher of NBC Sports Philly. The shortstop didn’t deny making the comment, but maintained that he never meant for it to reach Harper, and questioned why something said in the locker room got out.
“He wasn’t supposed to hear it,” Arcia said of Harper through his interpreter. “That is why we were talking in the clubhouse."
“I thought whatever is said in the clubhouse, stays in the clubhouse,” Arcia said, per McKercher.
"He wasn't supposed to hear."
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 12, 2023
Orlando Arcia discusses his comments made about Bryce Harper in the clubhouse after Game 2: pic.twitter.com/n9U3PS3sVr
Harper hit two home runs in the game, and each time he rounded second base, he made a point of staring down Arcia.
In his own post-game remarks on Wednesday, Harper confirmed that he’d been made aware of the comments, and also admitted that he was, in fact, staring at Arcia during his home run trots.
Bryce Harper says he enjoys the banter when asked about Arcia’s comments: “Yeah, I stared right at him.” pic.twitter.com/cwhB1UnJsh
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) October 12, 2023
“Yeah, I stared right at him,” said Harper, who added that it was his Phillies teammates who informed him about the quotes from Arcia.
“They just kind of told me, and they looked at me, and they were like, what are you going to do?” said Harper of his teammates, via Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philly.
The 30-year-old chose to respond on the field, launching two home runs and driving in four runs during Wednesday night’s win, as Philadelphia claimed a 2-1 series lead.
