Over the last three seasons, Bryce Harper and Max Scherzer have enjoyed each other’s company as teammates. When the Phillies face off against the Nationals tonight, however, all of that should change.
This offseason, Bryce Harper opted to sever ties with the Washington Nationals and take his talents north on I-95, to the Philadelphia Phillies. Now, after three games in Philly, Harper is feeling right home, smacking two mammoth shots in his first series in red pinstripes.
Entering only his second series as a member of the Phillies, however, Harper will face his first real test: facing off against his old team and their ace Max Scherzer for the first time in his career.
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Scherzer wasn’t originally scheduled to start today’s game between the Nats and Phils. However, the Nats have decided to forego the team’s fifth starter in order to have Scherzer face off against Harper in his DC debut.
To be clear, Max Scherzer is still on regular rest. After coming off of his phenomenal Opening Day start, the nats might be thinking that they might be better off getting off to a good start against arguably the best team in the National League.
In preparation for the boos he might receive, Harper finally thanked Nats fans today on Instagram.
The National did reportedly offer Bryce Harper a 10-year, $300M in an attempt to entice him to remain with the team. As we now know, Harper declined the offer and opted to take a 13-year, $330M deal with Philadelphia.
Will Harper take Scherzer deep? Will Scherzer punch Harper out? All answers will be questioned tonight when the Nationals face off against the Phillies at 7:05 EST. The game will be aired nationally on MLB Network.