Bryce Harper is one of the biggest baseball stars in the world and advocates for international baseball. The 31-year-old engaged with several baseball superstars before the World Baseball Classic last year to motivate them to participate in the tournament and now, prior to last weekend's London Series, where his Philadelphia Phillies faced the New York Mets on June 8 and 9, Harper again spoke out loud about the Olympics.
Targeting LA28 Olympics, the Las Vegas native said, “I would love to be part of that (…) The WBC [World Baseball Classic] is great and brings a lot of people together, but the Olympics is something you dream about playing in. If I have a chance to put my nation’s colors on and represent as I did at 18 and 16 then I would love it.”
The Philadelphia Phillies superstar admits that not having baseball permanently "in the Olympics is really tough.” That could fuel his motivation to be playing at the LA28 Olympics when he will be 35 years old.
Harper, who played for the USA U-18 National Team in the Pan Am Baseball Championship/WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Qualifier in 2009, took the field in London for the Philadelphia Phillies. He played first base and went 3-for-4 in Game One, Philadelphia won 7-2 and Harper started a six-run rally in the top of the fourth.
The Mets won the second game, 6-5, and Harper played first base and went 1-for-3.
Before that, he enjoyed London as a tourist. "Being able to walk around and be, you know, kind of just another person out there has been great," he told MLB.com.
He was also part of an unusual ceremonial first pitch together with former Phillies great Chase Utley, actor and director Rob McElhenney, a Philadelphia native who authored the sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and his wife and co-star Kaitlin Olson.
