Harper will get prolonged ovation in return to Philly

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper was saluted with a 25-second standing ovation previous to his first at-bat in Friday evening’s sport towards the Boston Red Sox.

Harper was taking part in his first sport in Philadelphia since he had Tommy John surgical procedure on his proper elbow within the offseason.

Under baseball’s new guidelines, gamers must be within the batter’s field and able to hit with eight seconds remaining on the pitch clock or they are going to be charged with a strike. Exceptions to the rule have to be granted by Major League Baseball, and the Phillies requested additional time for Harper’s return.

Phillies followers gave Harper a loud ovation and chanted “M-V-P! M-V-P!” earlier than Harper’s at-bat. He went on to strike out swinging towards Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale.

Harper was taking part in his third sport since coming back from surgical procedure. He final performed in Philadelphia on Nov. 3, when Philadelphia misplaced 3-2 to Houston in Game 5 of the World Series. Two nights later, the Astros received the sequence in Houston.

The 30-year-old Harper is within the fifth season of a 13-year, $330 million deal he signed with the Phillies previous to the 2019 season.

Harper entered Friday with three hits in seven at-bats this season. The two-time NL MVP reached base in all 5 plate appearances in Philadelphia’s 10-6 loss on the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.