Bryce Harper ‘thankful’ for baseball and family after in-game gender reveal
PHILADELPHIA — Waves of gratitude tend to hit Bryce Harper at weird times. He couldn’t stop thinking about the beautiful game of baseball in the on-deck circle during the third inning of Tuesday’s game against the San Francisco Giants. He was emboldened to challenge center fielder Jung Hoo Lee and tag up and take second base on a fly ball from Kyle Schwarber. It did not work.
It’s all part of the Bryce Harper Experience. You embrace the good and tolerate the things that make you scratch your head. He made up for it four innings later when he blasted a towering two-run home run to right field through the wind.
He later shared his thoughts.
“I’m so thankful to play in this game,” Harper said. “I’m so thankful to play in this park. I don’t know. I think guys put so much stress on themselves. I do it. I do it every night. I probably do it more than most, right? And I have my whole career. I’m very tough on myself. I’m very hard on myself. … I want our younger guys and I want our older guys to enjoy this game and enjoy the moment of being here and being a Philadelphia Phillie.”
A Harper home run is a great story on any given day, but the story would have been an all-timer if it came a day earlier. In his first at-bat on Monday, Harper walked to the plate with a baby blue bat. Harper informed teammates before the game that he wanted to include the team in revealing the gender of his fourth child. He ordered one pink bat and one blue bat. His close friend Trea Turner was tasked with giving him the correct bat. Turner messed around with the pink bat before handing him the blue one. Harper had to conceal the color of his bat from his family in the stands.
Harper swung at two pitches below the zone for a swinging strikeout. Can you blame him for being a little anxious?
“I don’t. I didn’t,” Harper laughed. “You guys saw.”
The blue bat was nowhere to be seen for the rest of the game. Harper is not sure what he’ll do with either the pink or blue bats. He could bury them in the basement along with other pieces of memorabilia from his career.
For now, it’s a cool memory to have as a soon-to-be father of four.
“It was really cool,” Harper said. “Another baby boy. I’m so blessed to have the family that I do. I’m so grateful for that. Three healthy ones. Hopefully another healthy one as well.
“Gender, I don’t care either way. As long as they’re healthy. As long as they’re strong. I feel like I’m more of a girl dad than I am a boy dad. Very thankful to hopefully welcome a baby boy here soon.”