The narrative surrounding the Washington Nationals Tuesday was Bryce Harper's apparent fear of walls (which, after a quick check, we know is not an actual phobia) after crashing into one last week against the Dodgers.
One way to overcome a fear is to just face it head-on (well, except for Harper because he already did that, but you know what I mean). Wednesday, the 20-year-old had his chance at redemption and nailed it, making a catch right along the wall in the bottom of the sixth.
As Harper headed towards the dugout, he received congratulations from his teammates, including an excited high-five from Denard Span and a full-on hug from Ian Desmond.
"Maybe a little bit," Harper told reporters when asked if he had some sort of breakthrough. "But it’s still in my head. Trying to get past that, but it’s going to take time. We’ll see how it goes."
Oh, and Harper also accounted for both runs -- a solo shot in the top of the sixth and the game-winning run in the 10th on Desmond's single in Washington's 2-1 win over San Francisco, which snapped a four-game skid and ended their West Coast road trip.
“I was just glad I was going to be able to see him for another day,” Desmond told reporters when asked about the aforementioned hug. “He didn’t get sent down to Triple-A.”
Follow Adam on Twitter @AdamVingan and e-mail your story ideas to adamvingan (at) gmail.com.
Photo Credit: Getty Images