CINCINNATI, OHIO – APRIL 25: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a home run in the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on April 25, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI – Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper made a heckler in Cincinnati eat his words by clobbering a home run on the very next pitch he saw.
Harper, who was reinstated from the paternity list Thursday, was batting with two outs and a man on in the 3rd inning when he enacted his revenge.
Just before Reds starting pitcher Nick Martinez delivered a 2-2 pitch, a Cincinnati fan in the stands could be heard shouting “overrated” and ‘big whiffer.”
Moments later, Harper drilled a hanging change-up 384 feet into the rightfield bleachers for his fifth home run of the season.
The two-run shot was part of a four-run third inning for the Phillies in a game they went on to win 5-0 behind a strong performance by ace Zack Wheeler.
This wasn’t the first time Harper got instant payback against a heckler. In 2019, fans in San Francisco chanted “overrated” just before the all-star launched a home run.
In a game against the Cubs that same season, Harper responded to jeers from a Phillies fan who mocked the slugger for going 0-3 despite his $330M contract.
Harper was videoed telling the fan to “shut the [expletive] up” as he walked back to the dugout, then ended the game by launching a walk-off grand slam innings later.
