The Bryce Harper-Braves beef, explained

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Why did Bryce Harper stare down Atlanta’s Orlando Arcia twice?

Prior to Game 3 of the NLDS between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies, Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos arrived at Citizens Bank Park paying tribute to Deion Sanders, the current head coach of Colorado. The timing was interesting, as it came 21 years to the day Sanders appeared in an NFL game with the Atlanta Falcons, and then flew to Pittsburgh to suit up for the Braves as they took on the Pirates in Game 5 of the NLCS.

Was this a tribute to Sanders and what he is doing at Colorado? A nod to his feat that October Sunday 21 years ago? Or something more … personal?

After what we saw in Game 3, it certainly seems the latter.

Let’s rewind things a little bit. Game 2 of the NLDS between these two teams ended in dramatic fashion, and both Harper and Castellanos were at the center of the story. With the Braves holding a 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth, Harper worked a walk to begin the inning. After a flyout to center, Castellanos came to the plate and laced a shot to deep right-center. Harper, representing the tying run, took off from first.

However, center fielder Michael Harris II tracked the ball and made an incredible catch right at the fence for the second throw of the inning. Suddenly, Harper had to reverse course, as he was already on his way to third when the ball was caught. The throw from Harris missed the cutoff man, but third baseman Austin Riley — whose home run in the bottom of the eighth gave Atlanta the one-run lead — scooped up the loose ball and fired to first in time to double off Harper, and end the game:

As Harper himself admitted after the game, it was a “[t]ough way to end it.”

Apparently, however, things did not end there. Because in the aftermath of Game 2, word trickled out about how the Braves reacted to the play. According to Jake Mintz of MLB on FOX, Harris’s catch — and Harper’s baserunning — were the talk of the locker room:

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.

Now let’s revisit Harper and Castellanos arriving for Game 3. The Phillies’ social media team shared those photos with a caption that looks a little different in this light:

Prior to this year’s game between Colorado and Colorado State, CSU head coach Jay Norvell kicked off the week by criticizing Sanders for wearing a hat and sunglasses during media interviews. The comments took on a life of their own, with Sanders eventually addressing his team:

Eventually, games were played. Both between Colorado and Colorado State, and between Atlanta and Philadelphia on Wednesday night. And Game 3 of the NLDS was all Phillies, as Philadelphia won 10-2 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

It seems Harper was ready. The Phillies slugger had a two-home run night, his first a three-run shot to give Philadelphia a 4-1 lead. And take note of where his eyes are as he rounds second:

The staredown of Arcia was more pronounced on his second blast, a solo shot to give the Phillies a 7-1 lead. Also, note the caption:

For good measure, the photo:

After the game, the comments following Game 2 were a major point of discussion. Arcia and the Braves seemed to take issue with the comments coming out, noting that Harper “wasn’t supposed to hear” them:

His Braves’ teammates weren’t happy with the media, either, for letting the quote get out:

As for Harper, he outlined how he became aware of Arcia’s comments from his teammates:

And for him yes, there was motivation and yes, he “stared right at him:”

Game 4 of the NLDS between Atlanta and Philadelphia is set for an 8:07 p.m. start on Thursday night. You might want to tune in.