Atlanta Braves Orlando Arcia may have awoken a sleeping giant. Per Fox Sports’ Jake Mintz, Arcia was taunting Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper in the Braves clubhouse following the Braves Game 2 victory because Harper made a costly baserunning mistake that ended the game. Per Mintz, Arcia was heard saying "Atta boy, Harper."
"Yeah, I mean I stared right at him"
Bryce Harper knew exactly what he was doing on his 2 HRs 🥶
(via @NBCSPhilly)pic.twitter.com/Fdrz0uRNgF
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 12, 2023
What Arcia may not have realized is that while the Braves won the game, there were still three more potential games to be played in a best-of-five series. Instead of dwelling on the mishap and comments made by Arcia, Harper used it as motivation for Game 3.
In Game 3, Harper went 2-for-5 from the plate, smashing two home runs and driving in four runs in the process. After each home run, he made sure to stare down Arcia as he was rounding second base. It was a signal to Arcia that Harper not only heard the comments but used them to fuel him and propel the Phillies to a Game 3 victory and a 2-1 series lead.
After the game, Harper was asked to speak on the matter and if the comments made by Arcia served as motivation for him. In response, Harper stated: "I mean anytime anybody says something, right? I mean, that’s what it’s all about."
He was then asked a follow-up question of whether or not he enjoyed staring Arcia down as he was rounding the bases for each of his home runs, to which Harper replied: "Yeah, I mean I started right at him [Arcia]."
Game 4 is set to take place today, Oct. 12 at 8:07 p.m. ET. It will be interesting to see if Harper/Arcia brings that same energy in a game that could decide the series.
