Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper is thought for partaking within the high quality artwork of pandering. He might have perfected the craft on Saturday, breaking out a reasonably widespread soccer-style aim celebration after hitting a game-tying residence run in opposition to the New York Mets as a part of the primary recreation of the 2024 London Collection (GameTracker).

Harper’s residence run got here in opposition to a dangling Sean Manaea sweeper and knotted the sport at 1-1. Check out the scene in query:

And here is Harper’s celebration of selection:

Harper might later be heard over a scorching mic on the FOX broadcast yelling that he “loves soccer.” He additionally informed a teammate that he had been planning that celebration “for years.” Who can doubt him? In spite of everything, this is similar Harper who had a customized bat designed to function the Phillie Phanatic posed as a King’s Guard:

Harper, 31, entered Saturday hitting .268/.378/.512 (153  OPS+) with 14 residence runs and 44 runs batted in. His contributions had been value an estimated 2.0 Wins Above Alternative, in accordance with Baseball Reference’s calculations. 

The London Collection is being performed at London Stadium, a multipurpose facility constructed for the 2012 Olympics that serves as the house of the English Premier League’s West Ham United. That is the third time MLB has performed a sequence in London. Beforehand, the New York Yankees swept the Boston Purple Sox in 2019 and the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals cut up a sequence in 2023. You may learn extra concerning the London Collection by clicking our primer right here.

The Phillies got here into Saturday’s contest with a 44-19 report, giving them one of the best report in Main League Baseball. The Mets, conversely, have been positioned fourth within the Nationwide League East with a 27-35 mark. The 2 sides will wrap up the London Collection on Sunday morning. First pitch is slated for simply after 10 a.m. ET.