Bryce Harper stepped to the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning of Tuesday’s World Baseball Classic championship game having left a lot to be desired. Team USA’s first baseman entered the contest against Team Venezuela 4-for-24 with one double, one RBI and no signature moment. But “The Showman” finally showed up when it mattered most.
With USA down 2-0, Harper went to bat after Venezuelan reliever Andrés Machado issued a two-out walk to Bobby Witt Jr. After taking a first-pitch changeup for a ball, Harper didn’t miss a second-pitch changeup in the zone; he launched it beyond the center-field wall for a game-tying home run.