PHILADELPHIA — Over the past two seasons, the Braves and Phillies have built what might be baseball’s best current rivalry. With the stakes high, the moments have been tense and heated. Many of the games – especially those in the postseason – have been instant classics.
So you might be surprised at the mutual respect between these National League East rivals. As the fan bases bicker with one another on social media, the players have an admiration for the other side.
Take it from Bryce Harper.
“I have so much respect for all those guys over there, man. From Austin (Riley) to (Matt) Olson to (Ozzie) Albies and Ronald (Acuña Jr.),” Harper told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in the Phillies’ clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park. “I think the thing is, when Braves baseball is really good, it makes Major League Baseball really good. I don’t think people would want to hear me say that or anything because they want to hear the rivalry and stuff.
“But I’ve always had respect for the Braves organization since I was 7 years old watching them on TBS. That’s just how it was. From Chipper Jones to (Dale) Murphy, to all the guys that I’ve played with – (Dan) Uggla, (Kris) Medlen, all of those guys, man. I’ve always enjoyed that kind of rivalry, but just the fun times that we’ve had on the baseball field. Just how it is.”
This is the same Bryce Harper that, early in his career, angered Braves fans by subtly dragging his foot across the “A” emblem behind home plate at Turner Field – something that, at the time, he said he did unknowingly. This is the same Bryce Harper that stared down Orlando Arcia last postseason, and the same Bryce Harper that Arcia recently stared down at Truist Park. To achieve their goals, his Phillies teams have had to fight their way through the Braves. He has been a Braves villain for so long.
And this is the level of respect he has for the Braves.
He said it in such a genuine tone. He meant it.
On the other side of the ballpark, Michael Harris II walks into the visiting clubhouse. He grew up a Braves fan and is a diehard Atlanta sports aficionado. Harris is told about the Phillies’ respect for the Braves and asked if this – the appreciation between the two rivals – is a misconception among fans.
“I was actually just thinking about that when I was outside (on the field) and was looking out there,” he said.
Then he continued.
“I don’t know, (fans) think that we have this weird hatred for them, and we just want to, I don’t know, strangle them or whatever. But a lot of us have respect for each other,” Harris said. “At the end of the day, we know it’s a game, and we’re just trying to win. But there’s no real hatred with each other. Obviously, there’s a fair share of players that don’t like each other within the league, but for the most part, everybody in the league pretty much likes each other, respects each other. No real hatred with them.”
Sorry if this is a bubble-burster. Sports fans grow up as diehards for certain teams. It makes sense that they’d want their favorite teams to despise their rivals.
And that rivalry is real. Of course the Braves want to win, just like the Phillies. Both teams expect to win. The rivalry still is heated: You could see the raw emotion during the past two postseason series. And none of this means the emotions won’t boil over at some point. But there’s respect between the clubs.
Hours before Friday’s series opener between the Braves and Phillies, a group of Philadelphia TV and radio reporters gathered around Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott. During this scrum, one local media member asked Stott to talk about the rivalry with the Braves. Stott offered a measured take on it all.
“Those guys are great players, and a lot of great guys on the team as well,” Stott said. “And we all kind of talk to each other on the field. I think everyone kind of knows that we’re two really good teams and a lot of people like watching us play each other. I think that kind of carried over to the players – the people want to see us play them. I think it makes it that much more fun.”
A few minutes after, the AJC asked Stott about his comment on the rivalry and about how fans might be surprised to know the respect both sides have for one another. Understandably, fans might not be thinking about this part of it.
“It’s fun playing those guys over there,” Stott said. “Everyone knows how good each other is. You’ll talk to (Matt) Olson at first and then you get to second and you’re talking to Ozzie (Albies) – well, now Whit (Merrifield). You get to third and you’re talking to (Austin) Riley. I think everyone understands and knows how good it is and knows how fun it actually is.”
The same goes for Harris.
“Whenever I get on, I talk to Bryce (Harper), I talk to Stott, say what’s up to (Trea) Turner,” Harris said. “Pretty much talk to anybody. I was in the Futures Game with Stott (in 2021), and that was kind of my guy that day. I still talk to him about whatever, whenever I get on base. There’s no real hatred, we all talk to each other.
“I guess the fans want us to hate each other. You can honestly tell, on social media, that they hate each other, so I guess they want us to do the same thing.”
The disgust each fan base has for the other is part of the fun of sports. It probably won’t end anytime soon. The Braves and the Phillies are once again two NL contenders. Philadelphia raced to a hot start and a huge division lead, while the Braves are finding their footing after dealing with injuries and struggling for much of the season.
And guess what?
We could get Braves-Phillies, part III, this October. Wouldn’t that be fun? If you’re a fan, it might be stressful. But the rest of the baseball world would enjoy it because these are two of the more fun teams in the sport.
“I think they got a group of pros over there,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Those guys play the game right, they play the game hard. Their guys post, just like our guys. They play every day. It’s a really good team. I got a lot of respect for that club and the staff and the organization and everything. They’re like our guys. They post every day. They play the game, they play it the right way.”
Everyone on the field has a different background and story. But they all made it to the majors. They have an appreciation for those who got there because they know how difficult it is to do so.
“We know pretty much everybody is living out their dream and having fun doing it,” Harris said. “So, there’s no point in hating each other for living out the dream that they had that was similar to you. We’re just still trying to play a game. We’re all going for the same ultimate, so I guess that’s why they want us to hate each other. But yeah, there’s no reason to really hate anybody unless they give you a reason to.”
The Braves and Phillies will throw figurative punches the rest of the way, but (probably not) literal punches.
“Obviously, we want to win, we’re competitive. They’re competitive as well,” Harper said. “But it’s a lot of fun kind of seeing the game’s just the game – go out there, play it, be competitive, and then once you’re off not playing the game anymore, everybody’s talking and all that good stuff.”
