Bryce. Harper. Smash:

What a way to capitalize on his return to the nation’s capital.

Despite DC TV anchors and writers joining in on the disdain of their former savior, Harper played it all positively and thanked his former fans in an Instagram post.

But it wasn’t all good for Harper to start as he struck out twice against Max Scherzer in his first at-bats. He got Scherzer with a double in the fifth inning before the fun really began.

In the sixth, he brought in a run on a single and ended up on second. He was pumped:

And then the dinger happened. A nice end to an 8-2 blowout victory. And for the first time since 1915 (!), the Phillies are 4-0. Unreal.

What’s going to be forgotten from this was Zach Eflin’s fantastic night on the mound. He went five innings and gave up three hits on nine strikeouts and a walk. That’s what you need from him. Also, Maikel Franco hit another homer in the 8-hole.

The Phils look to complete the two-game sweep this afternoon at 1:05 PM on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Aaron Nola, fresh off an extra day of rest, will get the start.

Lesson learned: Don’t offer your star player a bad deal in the middle of a game through an envelope.

While you wait, make sure you listen to the latest edition of Crossed Up.

And also while you wait, soak in the bat flip:

The Roundup:

Also on tap on the podcast side, a brand new episode of the Crossing Broadcast.

The Flyers also played last night. They lost to the Dallas Stars 6-2. Dallas clinched a playoff spot with the win. The Flyers have been eliminated since Saturday. They’re at St. Louis tomorrow night.

After a disgusting loss to the Mavericks, the Sixers return to action tonight as they take on the Atlanta Hawks at 7:30 PM on NBC Sports Philadelphia. NBC Sports Philadelphia + will have an alternate betting feed.

Aaron McKie was officially introduced as Temple’s next basketball coach:

https://twitter.com/TUMBBHoops/status/1113230400250372096

https://twitter.com/TUMBBHoops/status/1113082282686996480

This also just happened:

The Eagles released their draft cap based off the city’s flag.

In other sports news, the AAF died.

Texas A&M will hire Virginia Tech’s Buzz Williams as their next basketball head coach.

Russell Westbrook became the second player in NBA history to record a 20 point, 20 assist, 20 rebound game, joining Wilt Chamberlain. He also dedicated the game to rapper Nipsey Hussle, who died on Sunday.

The Cowboys extended Randy Gregory’s contract. He’s currently suspended.

In the news, Philadelphia is considering a congestion fee for driving in parts of the city.

Speaking of Nipsey Hussle, his killer was arrested.