Bryce Harper (Image Credits: Imagn)

Bryce Harper Slams Critics Over Team USA WBC Backlash

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports
By Paranjoy Goswami | Last updated Mar 20, 2026 9:13 AM ET

Team USA fulfilled the expectations by reaching the 2026 World Baseball Classic final. However, they suffered a disappointing 3-2 loss to Venezuela in the championship game. Bryce Harper is among the USA superstars who came up for criticism in the aftermath. Like several players on the roster, Harper did not produce his best in the WBC.

Following his return to the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, Bryce Harper blasted the criticism from a section of supporters, claiming that the superstars on Team USA did not play with enough pride for their country. Harper feels it is unfair to blame their shortcomings on the field on a lack of love for their nation.

“I think the worst notion that anybody had for Team USA is that we didn’t care, that we don’t care about our country, that we didn’t play for our country or anything else like that,” he said, as per Ty Daubert of Phillies Nation.

Phillies star Bryce Harper had some pushback for the criticism of Team USA in the WBC.

(Via @TyDaubert) pic.twitter.com/R69dtgH8IF
— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) March 19, 2026

“And I said that before, so that’s farthest from the truth, obviously: Because a guy didn’t throw, he doesn’t love his country, or a guy didn’t throw, [so] we don’t care as much.”

After the USA failed to score in the opening seven frames of the final, Harper pulled Team USA level on the scoreboard with a two-run home run in the eighth inning. However, an RBI double from Eugenio Suarez in the ninth put Venezuela back in the lead for good.

Bryce Harper Lauds Success of 2026 WBC

Despite earning a disappointing silver medal at the 2026 WBC, Bryce Harper, nevertheless, feels the tournament was a great success. He said it provided a good buildup to the 2028 Summer Olympics, where baseball will be one of the showcase sports.

Bryce Harper (Image Credits: Imagn)

“I thought baseball won in that moment,” Bryce Harper told Phillies Nation. “It was a great tournament, all the cultures coming together to play this great game.

“And I think it’s a great stepping stone into LA. What an opportunity we have to hopefully play in the Olympics. And I think a lot more guys are going to want to do the WBC, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

The finalists of the 2026 WBC were also guaranteed an automatic qualification for the Olympics. Therefore, Venezuela and the USA will be among the eight teams fighting for a gold medal.

This article first appeared on Total Pro Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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