Fans from Nationals Park booing Bryce Harper is a common theme, ever since he left the team in 2018. The same was on repeat when Harper took the field for the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, but this time the slugger replied with a go-ahead 2-run homer in the ninth inning. However, it was the finger he raised while covering the bases that went viral. And it’s not what you would generally assume. 

“Ring finger, though, make sure that’s out there.” Harper clarified his gesture after the Philadelphia Phillies secured a 10-5 victory over Washington.  

The Nationals were leading 5-0 early in the game. But the Phillies leveled the score in the top of the 7th. Then came the 9th. Bryce Harper opened the floodgates with a 2-run home run. And Derek Hill ultimately took it to 10, helping the team with a 3-1 series win. During Harper’s homer that helped Philadelphia take the lead, the 8x MLB All-Star was seen running the bases with a finger up in the air. And everyone just assumed he was giving the Nats fans the bird. 

According to the New York Post, a group of shirtless fans was chanting “f**k Bryce Harper” from the stands. And it was Harper’s response to give them the “ring finger”. 

Bryce Harper made his MLB debut with the Nationals in 2012 and was a celebrated star in Washington for seven seasons. But it all changed when he signed the 13-year, $330 million contract with the division rivals. The very first time he visited Nationals Park wearing a Phillies jersey, Harper was welcomed by Washington loyalists wearing white shirts that spelled out “T-R-A-I-T-O-R”. 

But the animosity didn’t end inside the stadium. In fact, it got uglier. 

After a loss against the Nats, his wife Kayla Harper took to Twitter (now X) and claimed that some Nationals fans brought their infant son Krew up during their heckling. While they wouldn’t be bothered with the booing, “bring his 4-week-old son into it” was “Classless”.

Despite years of hostility, Bryce lets his bat do the talking rather than engaging directly. Thursday’s celebration quickly became a talking point since most opposing fans thought he had flipped them off. 

How Bryce Harper handles the boos

“Everywhere I go, I get booed. I love it,” the Phillies first baseman said. “It’s weird coming from a fan base that I sweated for for seven years. But there’s a lot of people around here that enjoy me.”

He acknowledged how the hostility comes from a fraction of the fans. Earlier, he noted how the Philadelphia fans love and respect him as a player. And he mentioned that there are still a good number of people in D.C. who reflect the same mindset toward their former hero. 

And instead of focusing on the negatives, Harper always chooses to let his game do the talking. 

While he deals with adversity, Harper, who is a veteran, even helps his teammates in difficult moments.

The Phillies lost the first game in Washington on this road trip. They were trailing 2-0, and Brandon Marsh looked a bit worried. But a talk from Harper helped him get a little bit of confidence, and he hit the only homer in the 4-1 defeat. 

“That’s just him being the leader he is,” Marsh raved about him in the postgame. “He could see that I may have been overthinking a little bit up there, so he just came and put his arms on me, and put his hands on me, and just told me, ‘Stop thinking so much and go be you.’”

In fact, Bryce Harper has been quite active mentoring the young players and helping the front office with some solid signings. 

And the way he lets his performance speak for him makes his fans and teammates adore him. His 3 RBI in the final game helped the Phillies clinch 3 straight wins and the series against the divisional rivals. While they stayed second in the NL East, the Nationals slipped to 4th from 3rd.