Phillies

“That Was My Fault on That” – Diplomatic Bryce Harper Looking Out for Dusty Wathan

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Oct 4th, 2023 · 9:28 AM EDT

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Tough game for Phillies third base coach Dusty Wathan. I thought he might have to escape Citizens Bank Park in Taylor Swift’s popcorn machine after holding Kyle Schwarber (might have been safe), sending Nick Castellanos (tagged out), and then watching Bryce Harper blow through his stop sign like it was a wet paper bag. Bryce, being the consummate team guy that he is, wasn’t going to criticize Wathan after the game:

Bryce Harper talks about not picking up Dusty Wathan’s stop sign in the 8th inning of Game 1 against the Marlins, which ended up being the Phillies 4th run. @KYWNewsradio pic.twitter.com/kPlZL2QNnd

— Dave Uram (@MrUram) October 4, 2023

“Once I kind of got halfway to third, I didn’t really pick Dusty up, so that was my fault on that. Usually when I see him it’s ‘okay, I gotta stop.’ He’s got a really good eye over there. It just worked out in that situation. Nine times out of 10 I’m going to stop in that situation, because like I said, Dusty does a great job over there. It worked out that time, got us to 4-1 and gave us momentum going into the 9th inning.”

I actually believe Bryce when he says he “didn’t really pick Dusty up” because he was rounding third like an absolute madman. Like a bat out of hell (RIP Meatloaf). Dusty Wathan could have put the Incredible Hulk on the third base line and Bryce was still going for home plate, so it’s almost a moot point.

But credit to Harper for giving that answer. He’s going to bat for his guy. He’s gonna have his back. Let the fans and media argue about whether or not Wathan made the right decisions, keep it positive in the clubhouse.

Bryce Harper mic’d up scoring from first #RedOctober pic.twitter.com/NbbgOS8ZlJ

— nick (@nukRBCFHPod) October 4, 2023