Then...He came.
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| Speeding into the hearts of baseball fans everywhere, Bryce brings hope for Washington. |
On April 28th, the long wait was finally over. His Holiness, Lord and Savior of the national pastime in the nation's capital, the Chosen One with all his Ruthian talent, Bryce Harper Christ, finally rose from the forgotten wasteland of Triple-A to stun and amaze the masses with His mighty athletic prowess. Even though He only went 1-for-3 in His first big league game, He's certainly made His presence known thus far in a few ways. First, His age immediately brings awe to those who weren't already aware that He is just a few months shy of 20 years old. His form and execution of even routine plays give Him the appearance of a comfortable veteran, even when playing in a stadium for the first time. Second, His attitude seems to have been put in check (to a point), as He's no longer blowing kisses to opposing pitchers who He has mercilessly destroyed or wearing eye black as heavily as He once was. He seems to be calmer, more levelheaded. Perhaps He learned a bit of modesty whilst in the company of His now-teammates during the spring. Whatever it is, He has yet to show the arrogance and flair that is so commonly the folly of youth. Third, and most important, He's already had His first rivalry spring into life, with Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels. And, just like in another story about a certain savior, this is where things get interesting.
The scene: Nationals Ballpark, on a warm spring night, May 6th, 2012. The players: Phillies at Nationals, bottom of the first inning. Cole Hamels, former World Series MVP and the hottest pitching commodity of the 2013 MLB free agent class, stands on the mound. He's allowed no hits, no walks, and is perfect through 2/3 of an inning. Bryce steps to the plate, and Hamels is ready. He knows what he's about to do to Him, and he knows that it's fully intentional, but the public won't know for a few days. He goes into the windup, and throws a 93 MPH fastball that drills His Holiness right in the small of the back. Harper cringes for a moment, taken aback by this slight delivered unto Him. He reaches down to test out His back, to make sure that the hottest prospect in all the land, the One who would grab Washington from the depths of the NL East and raise them to the top, hopefully to stay, would not fall from grace and onto the disabled list. Thankfully, He is Restored, and makes His solemn trot to first base, His body healthy and His mind calm, while Hamels, the Judas from Philadelphia, receives the cursed ball back from catcher Carlos Ruiz, a look of grim but controlled knowing, almost satisfaction, on his face. He realizes what he has done. He realizes that his transgression will not be forgiven. He knows that, for putting Harper's season in danger before it had even truly begun, he would be struck down by the mighty hand of fate (rather, a fastball by Nats hurler Jordan Zimmermann in the 3rd inning). However, he's unaware of what would transpire next.
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| Just like at the Last Supper, Harper's trust was betrayed by Cole "Judas" Hamels. |
The next batter Hamels faces is his old teammate, Jayson Werth (who would also pay for the sins of Cole later when his wrist is broken during a routine play). Werth singles, and delivers Harper to third base, putting Him in scoring position. Hamels knows this is dangerous. He is aware that he's playing with fire by toying with Harper. For Bryce's part, though, He is calm. He is focused. Unlike in another similar story, He will not go down peacefully. His mind is clear, His legs twitching with anticipation. He is waiting for His chance to make Cole pay for what he has done to Him, and He will not miss the opportunity once it arises. Then, just like that, Hamels throws a soft pitch to first baseman Laynce Nix in order to keep Werth in check from stealing. Bingo. Harper lunges into a run, and Hamels can only look on helplessly as Nix, in a feeble attempt to quell the impending payback, fires the ball back to Ruiz. Alas, it is too late. Replays will show that He took a normal lead from third base, as any player in scoring position would do. Hamels was careless, unaware of who he was truly dealing with. Harper began His run to home plate before Cole could even finish his windup to first, showing that this was destined to happen all along. This was not purely payback. Even if Hamels had abstained from his intentional sin, Harper would have taken matters into His own hands. But in the moment, Hamels was stunned. After what he thought would be a simple faux-pickoff attempt, the play turned into one of the most stunning steals since Rickey Henderson. It Is Done.
In the aftermath, Hamels was suspended for 5 games, an almost meaningless punishment for a pitcher who could serve out the entire penalty without even missing a start. For his retaliatory quotes, wherein he called Cole "gutless" and "fake tough", among other things, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo was fined an undisclosed amount. For all the hype about His arrogance, Harper has remained silent, keeping His head down while slowly continuing His ascent into the ranks of the all-time greats. He has become the model of modesty in this ugly situation, in stark contrast to the smug punk He was initially painted out to be. What this means for the budding Nationals-Phillies rivalry, for Hamels' free agent stock come the offseason, and baseball as a whole, remains to be seen. But make no mistake: He is Risen. He is Here. And He will not be going away anytime soon. Whether you are a believer, a skeptic, or a Braves fan, you will hear it soon enough: Bryce Harper has arrived. And God (or Bud Selig) saw that it was good.
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