Atlanta Braves infielder Orlando Arcia appeared to stare down Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper on Wednesday as the Braves shortstop rounded first base after hitting a home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, evoking memories of the two teams’ National League Division Series matchup last October.
Harper, who had twice stared down Arcia during a two-homer game in response to a reported comment from the Braves infielder about a baserunning error made by the Phillies star last October, spoke to reporters after the game and dismissed Arcia’s stare, saying he hadn’t seen it, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. “No,” Harper answered. “I didn’t. I do not care. I could care less. “I have already done it.”
According to The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Arcia, speaking through an interpreter, declined to specify whether he was glaring at Harper while rounding the bases. “I was just enjoying my home run.” But the optics are tough to ignore, considering the Phillies-Braves rivalry and the two players’ history dating back to last year’s NLDS, when Philadelphia defeated Atlanta for the second consecutive postseason. What happened between Bryce Harper and Orlando Arcia? After winning the first game of the series, Harper and his teammates had a chance to leave Atlanta with a two-game lead, but they were down by a run when outfielder Nick Castellanos stepped to the bat with Harper on first and one out in the inning. Castellanos sent a shot to deep right-center field, which appeared to be an extra-base hit. Harper definitely thought so as he sprinted to third base. However, the ball was caught by Braves outfielder Michael Harris II, and Harper, unable to return to first, was doubled up to end the game. Following the game, Arcia reportedly laughed and exclaimed “Atta boy Harper,” evidently criticizing the Phillies’ star for his error. Harper, obviously taking the insults personally, wore a Deion Sanders shirt as he entered Citizens Bank Park for Game 3.
The two-time NL MVP then hit a pair of home runs, staring down Arcia at short as he rounded second base on both occasions. The Phillies went on to win Game 3 10-2. After the game, Harper said he stared down Arcia and relished the “commentary.” Arcia and the Braves, plainly seeing the competitive advantage they had given Harper and the Phillies, chastised the media for allowing the comment to be made public. The Phillies won the series and subsequently created T-shirts to commemorate the occasion. Fast forward to Wednesday’s game, which Philadelphia won in a comeback, and it’s evident that there is still some friction between the two teams. When asked about Arcia’s glare, Phillies manager Rob Thomson described it as “gamesmanship.”
“I heard about that,” Thomson remarked. “Yes, that is gamesmanship. “But we won.” This post was originally published on www.si.com as Bryce Harper Bluntly Dismissed Orlando Arcia’s Stare Following Phillies’ Victory Over Braves.
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