ATLANTA — Just about the only sound you could hear in the Philadelphia Phillies clubhouse at Truist Park after Monday’s crushing Game 2 loss to the Braves was zippers being zipped as the team prepared to fly home to Philadelphia.
The Phillies had just come out on the wrong end of an instant classic postseason game, coughing up a chance to take a commanding 2-0 lead before the series shifted back to Citizens Bank Park. Players completed their media obligations, but outside of that, there wasn’t much talking.
Rightfully so, a different picture is painted of what things were like in the Braves clubhouse in an excellent story by Jake Mintz of FOX Sports. Travis d’Arnaud and Austin Riley both hit late two-run home runs. Michael Harris II and Riley combined to double up Nick Castellanos and Bryce Harper on the final play of the game, a highlight that undoubtedly will be replayed at Truist Park for years to come. There would have been something wrong if the Braves — who seemed on the verge of collapse for the first six innings of Monday’s game — weren’t in a state of jubilation after their comeback victory.
Interestingly, though, Mintz notes that Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia had “repeated cackles” at the expense of Harper.
“While Riley’s blast flipped the score, Harris’ outrageous snag and Harper’s consequent blunder was the talk of Atlanta’s locker room after the game. Kevin Pillar’s young son, sporting a custom ‘Money Mike’ headband, waddled over to his favorite center fielder for a fist bump. Third-string catcher Chadwick Tromp strutted by Harris’ locker offering a congratulatory ‘Mike is him!’ All while Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia cackled emphatically about Harper’s misfortune, bellowing ‘ha-ha, atta-boy, Harper,’ repeatedly as reporters circled the room.”
With two outs in the ninth inning and the Phillies trailing by one, Castellanos hit a ball to the warning track in right-center field. The always-aggressive Harper was on first base, and when the ball was hit by Castellanos, he clearly believed it would get down and he would be able to score the tying run. Rather than stopping at second base and waiting to see if Harris caught the ball, Harper was already a third of the way to third base by the time the catch was made. He attempted to recover, but slipped and was ultimately thrown out at first base to end the game.
“I mean, he made a good play. I probably shouldn’t have gone over second base, but I made a decision and I’ll live with that,” Harper said after the game.
“Just taking a chance and Michael made a great play and doubled me up,” Harper continued. “Tough way to end it.”
It will be interesting to see if Harper acknowledges Arcia’s comments in any way, because him hearing about them will probably be unavoidable. On one hand, nothing Arcia said was especially offensive. On the other hand, it’s not typical to hear a player in a clubhouse celebration specifically poke fun at an opposing player, on a repeated basis. At least not with media present. It feels like an especially dangerous game to play when the series isn’t over, and is now slated to shift back to the raucous environment at Citizens Bank Park for two more games.
At the same time, players don’t need additional motivation at this time of the year. And despite his baserunning miscue, Harper is still hitting .333 this postseason. Whether Arcia’s comments influence him or not, there’s a good chance that we haven’t seen the last notable moment involving Harper this postseason.
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