Patriotic Harper uses star-spangled bat to slay Giants

The message from Bryce Harper and the Nationals was clear: Happy birthday, America!

The Nationals dropped the Giants 9-3 on Independence Day thanks to a huge first inning, highlighted by a two-run line drive home run from Harper, his 25th round-tripper of the season.

Harper, donning plenty of patriotic colors in his uniform, swung a special star-spangled bat. He took the third offering from San Francisco left-hander Madison Bumgarner quickly over the right field fence on a rope. The two-run shot in the first inning gave the Nationals a 3-0 advantage.

"Bumgarner is so good," Harper said. "You don't want to get behind a guy like that. He throws his heater a lot, has that cutter that he throws and very good curveball. Definitely, it was good to get out front and do that especially knowing Stras (Stephen Strasburg) was coming out there doing what he was doing the past couple of starts. It's something that we just got on him this time and thankfully we did."

Nationals manager Matt Williams said the Nationals were able to get to Bumgarner early on by attacking his fastball.

"It's important for us to get good pitches to hit and hit them," Williams said. "And we were able to do that in the first inning today. Good to jump out there and let Stras settle in, albeit he had to leave in the fourth."

Strasburg left after 3 2/3 innings with tightness in his left side, according to Williams. Strasburg will be re-evaluated Sunday. He had allowed no runs on one hit.

Harper finished with three hits. He drilled a line drive between the center field and right field defenders in the seventh for a double. He also contributed a single in the eighth.

After the game, there was buzz about his patriotic bat, which featured the Washington, D.C., skyline in red, white and blue. Where did it come from?

"When I was going to go to Japan this offseason, I was actually going to be swinging (it) in Japan. (I) have that one and a camo one, actually," Harper said. "I had it in the back. I brought it to spring training. I don't know why I brought it. I went back there today and I was like, 'why not?' If I get in trouble swinging it, so be it. But I thought it was pretty cool, pretty patriotic. Definitely being in D.C. and playing for the Nationals, it's even cooler.

His teammates certainly noticed the star-spangled bat, and judging from the results, endorse Harper employing it again.

"His bat? That was pretty cool," center fielder Michael A. Taylor said. Taylor homered to start the game and Yunel Escobar had doubled to deep center field on the game's first two offerings from Bumgarner.

"It's an unbelievable bat, I'll tell you that," said winning pitcher Tanner Roark. "It's awesome. Maybe he could use it every game."

But Harper said the bat was just for this Fourth of July.

"It's just a one-day kind of thing," Harper said. "I think it's really cool being able to do certain things like that. Guys have cleats and batting gloves and things like that. I have a bat. I was lucky enough to have that in the back and it worked out today."

Not to be outdone and feeling patriotic himself, Tyler Moore also had three hits, with a pair of doubles, a single and four RBIs. The three hits tied his career high, which he has now done four times.

In the seventh inning, Harper laced a double to center field and was standing on second base chatting with Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. That's when Giants center fielder Gregor Blanco snuck up behind Harper and took a throw from pitcher Yusmeiro Petit to try to catch Harper off the bag. Problem was, time had been called and the play was dead.

"Time was called," Harper said. "Everybody was panicking in the dugout telling me to get back and I was just talking to Crawf. I had no idea he was even behind me. Great play, but time's out. Nothing I can do."

The Nationals reach the halfway mark of the season at 45-36 and in first place in the National League East. What was Harper's take on why the Nationals have done so well in the first half of the season?

"I think it just shows how deep we are and how good we are in the minor leagues," Harper said. "How good our scouting has been and how good our pitching has been. Maxie's (Scherzer) been so big for us this year going out there and throwing every single day and doing what he does. Stras and (Jordan) Zimmermann and (Doug) Fister and Joe Ross.

"You look at all these guys that (have) been going out there and doing what they're doing. Give a lot credit to our bullpen and all the young guys have been coming up and doing what they've been doing. Kind of makes you excited for October and beyond that."

Watch Harper's two-run homer and his on-field interview in the videos below.