Bryce Harper had fun with the Phillies fans who traveled to D.C. for his return to Nationals Park

By Andrew Mearns @mearnspsa

April 2, 2019

There was plenty of hype for Bryce Harper's first game as a visitor at Nationals Park on Tuesday night. The booing was inevitable, as was the shirsey alteration. The real question was how Harper would react to the adversity.

Max Scherzer got the best of Harper early on, fanning the superstar twice. The third time was the charm, though, as Harper smacked a double off Scherzer. An inning later, he added an RBI by slashing the ball the opposite way for a single to left.

Most of the crowd wasn't pleased, but there was a strong contingent of Phillies fans behind Harper in right field. They roared their approval with a chant.

WE. GOT. HARPER.

You'll want the sound on for this. pic.twitter.com/mcSMxuW2xQ

— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 3, 2019

Harper saluted the Philly faithful, and when he took the field in the next half-inning, he made sure to give them a bow -- just as he did on Opening Day.

As if that wasn't enough, Harper tried to honor the Phillies fans one more time by sending a home run in their direction.

The only problem? The 458-footer overshot their section.

We can probably classify that "mistake" as a #BryceHarperProblem.

It didn't matter -- the Phillies fans went crazy anyway.

Here’s how it looked from the only part of the stadium that’s still having a blast. pic.twitter.com/h4B8Ykx3d3

— Hannah Keyser (@HannahRKeyser) April 3, 2019

The Phillies won the game, 8-2. This has all the makings of a beautiful friendship.