WASHINGTON — Standing near home plate on Saturday, the Washington Nationals’ Bryce Harper briefly admired his handiwork, a game-tying, second-deck, two-run homer in the eighth inning. As he ran to first base, Harper pointed to the once-tense Nationals dugout.
And when the normally stoic Ryan Zimmerman clobbered a three-run homer in the same inning, securing a 6-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of their National League division series, he screamed and waved his arms. His teammates celebrated furiously, Harper jumping around in foul territory near the dugout.
Pardon the exuberance over a single win in this best-of-five series.