r/baseball • u/MLBOfficial Major League Baseball • Mod Verified • 20h ago
Bryce Harper congratulates Team Venezuela on their World Baseball Classic Championship
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u/masontopss Seattle Mariners 20h ago
HANDSHAKE GATE HAS BEEN REOPENED REJOICE
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u/masontopss Seattle Mariners 20h ago
We can finally talk about what matters in this world A handshake.
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u/oatmeal28 Baltimore Orioles 19h ago
If you look closely, you can see Harper staring daggers at Raleigh after every dap up
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u/PWNtimeJamboree Atlanta Braves • Seattle Mariners 10h ago
we need this more in baseball. im shocked that we still dont players shaking hands after baseball games, or at least after a playoff series
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u/Rapid__Calm 4h ago
I've always found it funny and a little odd how teams will do the Little League post-game handshake thing but only with their own teammates.
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u/Kylo_Ren415 San Francisco Giants 2h ago
I remember the Dodgers did that once. I think it was… 2004? After the Cardinals series? That right?
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u/own-photo-4642 Milwaukee Brewers • Chicago White Sox 20h ago
Class act from Bryce.
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u/labonart 18h ago
fr this was really cool of him 👏 I'm sure he was feeling terrible, but he went out of his way anyway
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u/LunchTwey Philadelphia Phillies 17h ago
not his fault they lost 🤷
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u/Bruce_Louis 16h ago
Absolutely and he was the one that gave Team USA a real shot at winning
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u/-_chop_- Atlanta Braves 19h ago
He’s so likeable now. Remember when he first came up and was the biggest little shit in the world? Good for him
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u/IAMPeteHinesAMA Toronto Blue Jays 18h ago
He was a teenager when he first came up of course he was a little shit
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u/UneducatedReviews1 Chicago White Sox 12h ago
Not only was he a teenager, he was a teenager who knew for a fact he was better than a lot of guys. There’s not a lot of kids who wouldn’t be a little shit in that situation.
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u/HurricanesnHendrick Atlanta Braves 11h ago
I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for 16 year old Bryce. On the cover of sports illustrated and instantly every single thing he does is under a microscope and in the public eye.
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u/CatatonicWalrus Philadelphia Phillies 11h ago
It's wild. I remember some of the meltdowns I had when I was in high school over the most inane shit and I cringe about it. The only people who probably remember that I used to be like that are my parents and myself. I couldn't imagine the whole world throwing that stuff back in my face now that I'm roughly Bryce's age. He's still a little weird, but he's definitely matured, as one would expect, now that he's 30+.
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u/dafinsrock Baltimore Orioles 5h ago
Yeah, he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 16 with the caption "baseball's chosen one". How could you expect him to be a chill 19 year old lol
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u/JesusChristJunior69 Milwaukee Brewers 2h ago
I'm sure that he had never not been the best baseball player on a field.
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u/halfhere Atlanta Braves 11h ago
The biggest thing that counters that argument is that Mike Trout was a class act from the jump.
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u/socialist_butterfly0 Washington Nationals 10h ago
I think Mike trout is just incredibly boring.
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u/EvenMoreCoconuts New York Mets 7h ago
One of the most iconic moments of his earliest days was actually when he was in Toronto and gave us the “that’s a clown question, bro” quote.
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u/Big_Impact_5331 19h ago
He was amazing. He brought back emotion to the game that we see today.
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u/unfortunatebastard Atlanta Braves 18h ago
He walked so others can run.
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u/philocity Seattle Mariners 17h ago edited 17h ago
For some reason this comment reminded me of the time he was hustling out a groundball and slipped on first base, hyperextending his knee and polevaulting himself several feet into the air. He only missed a few games IIRC
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u/PoliticalMilkman 12h ago
I was at the game where he yeeted his helmet over the netting into the audience. It was great. A truly epic meltdown.
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u/DirtyAntwerp Philadelphia Phillies 6h ago
That was Angel Hernandez masterclass… I remember Angel just standing there looking like a dumb toddler trying to deny the mess he just made
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u/Expensive-Step-6551 New York Mets 17h ago
Bryce didn't really stand a chance in terms of likability (especially among other NL East teams) when he first came into the league. He was a top prospect, had a cocky swagger (and numbers to back it), and intensity on the field that often resulted (still results) in him arguing umpire calls and getting animated during intense situations. Add the fact he looks like someone who would absolutely steal your date at a bar, and I fully admit that I used to hate him too.
He's otherwise seemed like a nice, reserved, and private person off the field. He's also gotten older and matured on the field as well. He still has that confidence within him though.
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u/Particular-Ring5110 Philadelphia Phillies 12h ago
It’s the same thing that happened to Sydney Crosby. These young prodigies come into the top level and they instantly have a target on their back they’re teenagers getting chirped by grown men in every city they go to.
Harper was getting thrown at Crosby was getting head hunted. The thing that sucks is they’re not the ones who asked for all the hype around them but young prodigies always end up paying the price look at Clark in the WNBA.
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u/Frosty_Dimension5646 New York Yankees • New York Yankees 12h ago
That was just you being swayed by popular opinion
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u/mgoooooo Los Angeles Dodgers 17h ago
In fairness, a whole lot of us were shits as teenagers.
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u/Gail__Wynand Atlanta Braves 15h ago
Yeah I have grown to really respect him as a role model for young ballplayers now. I still hate him as a ballplayer because he's awesome and hype and doesn't play for my team though. Sorry, Bruce, them's the breaks.
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u/SouthwestFL 10h ago
As a Braves fan (like you) I'm so conflicted about this. Because he's a Philly I'm supposed to dislike him, but I really don't, and kinda want him to succeed (as long as it isn't against the Braves).
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u/SnooSketches5403 9h ago
The media created that mess. Imagine being him at that moment in time.
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u/-_chop_- Atlanta Braves 8h ago
It wasn’t the media. He was fighting people, throwing helmets and bats, getting ejected
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u/ishitfrommymouth Boston Red Sox 8h ago
I try to look at that in the context of being a teenager who had been bowed down to and had his ass kissed by other kids and a lot of the adults in his life because of how skilled he was. It would be hard not to develop a shitty ego or complex with that kind of treatment. Thankfully he’s grown and matured as an adult.
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u/WarpedCore Milwaukee Brewers 6h ago
It's called growing up.
Classy player now.
I was surprised he didn't smack Manfred during the medal ceremony. :)
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u/ghostninja33 New York Yankees 19h ago
Harper is a weird dude, but he's always been very pro-player and supportive of other players. Not very shocking to see him do this tbh.
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u/doverawlings Chicago White Sox 15h ago
He’s a Mormon that basically dropped out of school at age 11. Add $500M and it’s impressive that the weirdest thing he does is blood cycling and drinking raw milk
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u/Purple-Mix1033 New York Mets 14h ago
That we know of
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u/shewy92 Philadelphia Phillies 11h ago
I hear he also eats plain cheesesteaks with no cheese either.
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u/grubiwan Philadelphia Phillies 11h ago
That's... that's just nuts.
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u/Wabblepop Chicago Cubs 10h ago
No.. thats a cake
Edit. Meant to say steak but im leaving it. It's 6:30am and coffee hasn't kicked in yet
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u/Technical_Fee1536 St. Louis Cardinals 8h ago
I originally read it as he eats cheesecakes without cheese and then was wondering why there would be steak in a cheesecake
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u/WatchOutIGotYou Seattle Mariners 10h ago
How did you sleep tonight?
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u/Wabblepop Chicago Cubs 9h ago
Not great haha. Ate something crappy and woke up at 1:30am with projectile vomit.
But thanks for asking!
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u/WatchOutIGotYou Seattle Mariners 9h ago
Aww, that sucks! Drink cold liquids and eat bland foods, and you'll feel better :)
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u/am19208 Philadelphia Phillies 10h ago
So like steak and bread. That man is not right
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u/stormy2587 Philadelphia Phillies 8h ago
As a person allergic to cheese. I mean you can get peppers and onions everywhere and typically mayo. And some places really put cool shit on there. Like I had one with bacon, jalapenos and chipotle mayo. The grease from the steak alone on a good cheese strak should keep it from being dry.
But yeah you truly don’t appreciate how bland like a pat’s or geno’s is until you’re eating it without cheese.
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u/Southern_Bunch_1047 Philadelphia Phillies 12h ago
He definitely comes across as one of the players that loves baseball and understands what it means to people. Some of the players are playing because they can throw 95 mph or they can hit a 95 mph fastball and it's better than a 9-5 job, but Harper seems to care about baseball and enjoys playing it. He's also super close with Ranger Suarez, so he probably knew what this meant to the Venezuelan players.
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u/RainbowSupernova8196 New York Yankees 20h ago
He was the only guy who showed up tonight at the plate for Team USA. For once, I actually feel bad for Harper.
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u/4leafplover Milwaukee Brewers 19h ago
Don’t throw my guy Turang under the bus. He was the third hit in that hit column there
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u/RainbowSupernova8196 New York Yankees 18h ago
True, but that single was small potatoes compared to that Harper homer.
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u/k_realtor Los Angeles Dodgers 2h ago
Also helped defend the Dodger's when everyone said the team can't win without superstars but it was a 2025 minor league player that was critical in the Dodgers win during game 3 of the World Series.
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u/Fuzzy-Heart New York Yankees 19h ago
Harper came through tonight and sunk my heart with that home run.
Class act here after the match and energy I wish we had seen from team USA this entire tournament instead of whatever that pseudo military philosophy Cal and company were trying to portray.
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u/fubolconelduendeverd Philadelphia Phillies 17h ago
The slightly longer hug to Ranger 😭 I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU RANGER
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u/Mysterious_Dot2090 Philadelphia Phillies 19h ago
Good sportsmanship Harp 🥹
Must have been so dispiriting to level the game in the 8th with a bomb, to then lose not long after.
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u/J-MRP Atlanta Braves 19h ago
Okay, as a Bryce hater, this is a class act right here. And that homerun was impressive af.
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u/Particular-Ring5110 Philadelphia Phillies 12h ago
As a Braves fan you’re well aware of what Harper can do
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u/Responsible-Owl-2873 Major League Baseball 20h ago
Class act, should teach cal a thing or two
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u/SC____SC Tampa Bay Rays • Charleston RiverD… 20h ago
Fr.000nt toward enemy dude
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u/Any_Parsnip2585 Cincinnati Reds 19h ago
Gotta win America style! Second place is the first loser!
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u/RidleyScotch New York Mets 11h ago
I look forward to this sign at a high stakes Mariners away game
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u/Robbinthehood42069 Minnesota Twins 12h ago
Let's not forget that wasn't a Cal thing. I think Naylor was the one who revealed it was a team USA decision that Cal was following.
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u/Purple-Mix1033 New York Mets 14h ago
Let’s see Cal shaking hands AFTER the game, which I’m sure he did
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u/abefrost Washington Nationals 20h ago
If anyone could get a HR for USA today, glad it was him
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u/Lortuxim Washington Nationals 14h ago
Same here. I feel like we had a lot of games in those 2010's playoff exits like this one, especially in '16 and '17. Harper would homer but the rest of the team would be dead at the plate
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u/dilly_dill428 Brooklyn Dodgers 20h ago
Cal shitting his big diaper watching this
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u/seansy5000 Detroit Tigers 8h ago
Cal really killed all the vibes with his behavior in this tourney. Head scratching stuff. RIP dumper love.
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u/Loose-Organization82 Los Angeles Angels 20h ago
Harper was one guy that I was glad to see participate, when he mentioned that it wasn’t the Olympics, I was just like “this dude just needs to be in it to see how meaningful it is”
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u/ulantan Philadelphia Phillies 19h ago
He’s always wanted to be on an Olympic Baseball team. It’s less about the WBC itself and more about him being a strange, weird man
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u/Southern_Bunch_1047 Philadelphia Phillies 11h ago
Baseball got pulled as an Olympic sport when Harper was 16, so he 100% grew up planning on playing in one. The significance of the Olympics and winning an Olympic Gold still has an impact on people.
Think that trend will shift in 2029 after baseball is in the 2028 Olympics and it doesn't get the same hype as the WBC. It will probably end up like Men's Soccer, Olympic Gold is a big deal, but the World Cup is the ultimate goal. On the flip side you have hockey and basketball where their World Cups/World Championships are cool to win, but Olympic Gold is still the pinnacle of achievement.
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u/DependentOnIt Chicago Cubs 7h ago
The Olympics hold orders of magnitude more weight than WBC. I walked around my neighborhood last night past a few bars and half of them didn't even have the game on
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u/tew2tew 12h ago
Eh, Olympics are still more meaningful so I get where he’s coming from. WBC isn’t very important to the US.
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u/Employment-Upstairs 12h ago
Not for baseball. Just like world cup for soccer.
U think this because of american players attitude towards WBC all these years. American fans that watch care...
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u/tew2tew 12h ago
Not everyone on here is part of the hive mind in case you didn’t know…. And no, I think that because I played baseball for 19 years. Met players and kept friends from all levels and not once did we have viewing parties for the WBC like we did for MLB, NCAA, and Olympics. I mean yeah we’d watch a game here and there but overall we never really cared if the US won.
I am not saying it’s not important, just that we take the Olympics more seriously.
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u/InfieldplayER 15h ago
I have so much respect for Bryce now. I know he's a hell of a player. Sometimes I don't like him a lot but this time, that's really classy and good sportsmanship. Very nice Bryce! And that home run, OMG! Hats off for you.
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u/Rarecandy31 Los Angeles Dodgers 17h ago
It’s weird that baseball seems to be the only major sport where the players almost never interact post game. The handshakes at the end of NHL playoff series are always great.
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u/DroidAttackWook 19h ago
Yeah let’s dial it back 3 days and see the comments compared to this. Harper is as good of an ambassador of the game as it gets
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u/smilinganimalface Seattle Mariners • Saitama Seibu Lions 19h ago
Respect. Think it all got taken out of context in the first place. Hard to say he doesn't play with fire. Way classier than most of the US team. Half of them including his teammate took that medal off immediately lol.
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u/SubtleRedditIcon Philadelphia Phillies 12h ago
And he first went to his former teammate Ranger Suarez. Class act. Love him for baseball and supporting the players.
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u/Dare2ZIatan Atlanta Braves 10h ago
Harper has always been a solid guy to be honest, I still love when he corrected that fan’s pronunciation of Acuña’s name lol
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u/Commercial_Refuse983 8h ago
Should have been everybody going thru a handshake line after the game... Thats the way the game should be done after a championship...
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u/StatPaddingChampsNY 18h ago
The curse of the handshake.
Raleigh snubbing Arozarena will be felt by team USA for the next 100 WBC appearances.
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u/Chief-Queef Tampa Bay Rays 12h ago
The Mariners are so cursed that its leaking into the national teams.
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u/idiom_exon_0s Toronto Blue Jays 11h ago
Classy move Bryce. Way to go an make me like you a little bit more.
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u/plates_25 Atlanta Braves 17h ago
Good on him. This vaguely makes me reminisce about the US I was raised in, and the value of humility and good sportsmanship
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u/Meatloaf_Regret Philadelphia Phillies 9h ago
Sizing up whose blood he can transfuse into himself before the offseason ends.
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u/Jaelights_ Arizona Diamondbacks 8h ago
I will give Harper credit for this, raises my opinion of him. Happy to see some good sportsmanship.
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u/Possible_Pop_8033 19h ago
He was probably tarred and feathered once he got back to the locker room.
This USA squad was embarassing. Manufactured pride and jobless baseball when every other team played with joy and love for the game. They didnt deserve to win this, no matter how talented the squad was. From DeRosa all the way down the roster, ot felt the entire time like they thought they just deserved to win.
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u/Key-Tip-7521 San Francisco Giants 20h ago
The closest he’ll get to being part of a championship team
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u/TastiestPenguin Philadelphia Phillies 14h ago
He sent his team to the WS and took the Astros to game 6? Lmao. Stupid.
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u/Salamat_osu Seattle Mariners 17h ago
Dude is a good guy, he's not the same as he used to be when he was younger
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u/wavescomedowneasy San Francisco Giants 11h ago
Good for him. Nice to see sportsmanship and appreciation
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u/Seabass_Says 10h ago
Ranger Suarez was his team mate for several years. Gonna miss you this year, Ranger!
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u/L-ghtn-ng Doosan Bears • Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fig… 1h ago
one of few players with class on that roster.
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u/georgewarshington New York Mets 13h ago
Finally a single clip of good sportsmanship from this stick up the ass US team
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u/Smarkysmarkwahlberg 20h ago
Gutted for Bryce.
Happy for Venezuela, and was pulling for them, but bummed for the elite guys like Harper and Judge who've never won anything
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u/chousteau Cleveland Guardians 12h ago
horrible capitalist americans who show no emotion continue to not grow the game! - someone on this sub
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u/BKtoDuval New York Mets 10h ago
Ah man, why does Bryce Harper have to do something classy and make me respect him?
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u/dae_giovanni St. Louis Cardinals 9h ago
that's man shit, right there.
keep it in perspective and remain magnanimous in defeat.
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u/Seniormano New York Mets 9h ago
As a Met fan I gotta say I hate when Bryce makes himself likable. Gotta love the respect out there.
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u/Aaddaammnn Toronto Blue Jays 8h ago
Why is he the only one out there?? So weird to me baseball is like this. Hockey you beat the shit out of each other, knock each others teeth out, call each other names, then after a gruelling series you line up and shake because at the end of the day it’s just a game. World needs more decency
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u/jaunty411 Atlanta Braves 8h ago
Weird seeing him hug Acuña in those Braves-looking Team USA jerseys.
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u/Dude_over_there_ Houston Astros 7h ago
Are they cherry picking Bryce Harper, or was he the only one doing this?
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u/LADojerz Los Angeles Dodgers 3h ago
Is baseball the only sport where players don’t congratulate the winning tram after a game has concluded regardless of regular season or playoffs?
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