Bryce Harper on why passionate Phillies' fans will help him thrive
Bryce Harper knew what he signed up for when he inked his 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. He knew he was now bound to spending the rest of his career in a city that exudes passion, demands excellence and chews up those who fall short of expectations.
The pressure can be enough to make some players in Harper’s position feel nervous or intimidated, but the six-time All-Star says it will all make him feel right at home.
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In a one-on-one interview with Yahoo Sports ahead of Thursday’s season opener against the Atlanta Braves, Harper says he’s prepared to embrace the emotions and use the fanbase’s passion as fuel to perform at a high level.
“It’s great. I’m so excited to be with a fanbase that loves all their sports. They love their city so much. They understand their city. They’ve grown up in the city — most of them. They ride and die with us all season long.
“They let you know when you’re playing well. They let you know when you’re not playing well. For me that just makes me thrive all that much more.”
Harper spoke to Yahoo Sports on behalf of the contact lens brand, ACUVUE OASYS with Transitions.
In the interview, Harper addressed some other interesting topics, including the reaction he expects and the emotions he’ll feel when he returns to Washington DC on April 2 and 3:
"I'm so excited to walk into that stadium. I'm sure I'll have some cheers, I'll have some boos as well. It's just part of sports. But I'll remember the good times. I'll remember the screaming and yelling and all the craziness of going through the 2012 playoffs and the 2014 playoffs. You know, 16', 17'. Just being able to go through those runs and understand what it does to a fanbase, to a city. How excited they get. I'll remember those times the most."
Harper also touched on his walk-up song choices for 2019:
"No, so the [Fresh Prince theme] was just spring training. I just wanted to mess around and do it in spring."
"Definitely doing a Meek Mill though. I'll put that one out there. I usually do about four walk out songs. But Meek Mill will definitely be one of them."
On his new contact lenses:
"In the sun, they actually change into a brown kinda color. I have blue eyes, so the sun is really prevalent when it comes through. So having these has been an absolute game-changer for me. I squint less, which is huge for me when I'm trying to see pitches and things like that. And my vision is just night and day from what it was, so day games it's definitely going to help me."
It’s a new beginning for Harper on several fronts. He’s clearly confident he has all of his bases covered.
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