Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) bats against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Petco Park. Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Bryce Harper pulls interesting move to try to break out of slump

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated 9/6/23

Bryce Harper might not necessarily be superstitious, but he is definitely a little stitious.

The Philadelphia Phillies slugger Harper entered play on Tuesday saddled in a brutal 0-for-16 slump. Thus, Harper decided to show up to that day’s game against the San Diego Padres sporting a new look — he got rid of his beard and went clean-shaven.

Phillies beat writer Todd Zolecki of MLB.com shared a photo of Harper.

A new look. pic.twitter.com/fpxqN5i5gZ

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) September 5, 2023

The former NL MVP Harper had been rocking the beard for at least the last couple of years, making that hairless visual pretty jarring to many fans. The worst part is that it didn’t even work (or at least not yet).

Though he walked once Tuesday against the Padres, Harper still went 0-for-3 on the evening, bringing him into 0-for-19 skid as the Phillies got shut out 8-0. Meanwhile, Harper’s season batting average has slipped from .308 (on Aug. 31) to .293 (just five days later on Sept. 5).

The good news here is that Philadelphia still has a stranglehold on the first NL wild-card spot at 76-62 (4.5 games ahead of the next closest team).

But if Harper (who has already done some weird things this season) is serious about busting out of his slump, he might have to go full Yul Brynner and shave his head too.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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