Tag: Orlando Arcia

Nobody from Bryce Harper to reporters did anything wrong in the Orlando Arcia trash-talk controversy

This Orlando Arcia and Bryce Harper controversy is silly on many levels.

The Atlanta Braves are a game away from being eliminated for a second-straight year by the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS, but that’s somehow not the focus around the clubhouse right now.

No, it has much more to do with a harmless piece of fun sparking an elite baseball player to do something he normally does in the postseason, and a discussion on journalistic ethics that should be blatantly obvious.

In what’s clearly the second-dumbest MLB playoffs controversy going on right now (first place goes to you, Mattress Mack), the baseball world is now fixated on Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia trolling Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper in the Atlanta clubhouse after the Braves won Game 2 of the NLDS.

Well, it’s a bit more what happened after that, as Harper used Arcia’s light ribbing with fellow teammates as bulletin board material to smack a three-run homer out of Citizens Bank Park en route to a Game 3 Phillies victory.

Like many great athletes before him, Harper used a perceived slight, even one as innocuous as Arcia saying “ha-ha, atta-boy Harper” to his fellow Braves after Harper’s base-running error gave Atlanta the last out needed to win Game 2 at Truist Park.

The reporting above by Fox Sports’ Jake Mintz is typical sports journalism done in the postseason of a professional sport. He overheard someone say something newsworthy in a locker room filled with reporters, and he shared it. Quite frankly, it was a nice catch by Mintz that added flavor to his game story.

Even if Arcia didn’t realize he was being recorded, everything he said was fair game for a reporter to report on. There are legitimate television cameras rolling in MLB clubhouses after postseason wins. How is this surprising?

After all, Arcia said absolutely nothing out of the ordinary for what you’d expect a winning team to say about a rival after that rival made a mistake to lose a game, and Mintz just got within earshot to share the comment.

Arcia was just having justified fun, and Mintz shared what he heard.

Well, since Harper very clearly heard about Arcia’s joking and let him know about it on that dramatic homer, the Braves are not happy it got reported in the first place.

Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud alleged that Mintz shared the comment off the record and violated some sort of sacred rule about reporting what’s said in a clubhouse when it’s not said directly to a reporter.

He likens the clubhouse to a “sanctuary.” We apologize if your eyes have rolled so hard that they’ve started spinning like an out-of-control windmill.

A baseball clubhouse during the MLB Playoffs is about as sacred as a Wendy’s dining room at the lunch rush.

If you overhear Fran from church smack-talking the preacher’s sermon to Claudia and Betsy Lee while munching down on a Nacho Loaded Cheeseburger, you’re in your legal right to tell someone else you heard it.

Mintz was not interviewing a city councilperson off-the-record for an ordinance vote, nor was he in Arcia’s backyard during a private function with his Braves teammates. He was in an open locker room after a professional sports victory, one with tons of other reporters who have legal and ethical fair game to report on whatever they might hear on the job.

There is no difference in Mintz reporting on Arcia’s very light jab at Harper than there is the Fox Sports camera crew picking up on Justin Verlander’s expletive-laden victory speech to his Houston Astros teammates before popping the bottles for the team’s ALDS win.

A locker room is not a confessional booth. It’s a place where players go before and after games and practice, and there are set times where media is allowed to interact with players. Mintz was present for one of those times. Even if Arcia’s comments weren’t told directly to Mintz, he had more than a right to report on them being said.

It doesn’t matter if Harper got wind of these comments or not; it’s not Mintz’s fault that Braves manager Brian Snitker didn’t pull starting pitcher Bryce Elder in time for Harper’s at-bat.

This anecdote from This is Football host Kevin Clark spells out just how “sacred” the clubhouse is during media availability.

As for Harper? He’s got a right to make a mountain out of a molehill just as any professional athlete, just as Arcia is perfectly reasonable in mildly trolling a rival for an on-field mistake and Mintz is in reporting that Arcia did so when he overheard it in the Braves locker room.

This is the nothingburger of the postseason so far, one that has the Braves all in a tizzy when they should be focusing on getting back to Truist Park for Game 5 and making Harper work for another World Series berth on the road.

Nobody did anything wrong, and that’s how it should be.

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Orlando Arcia on the clubhouse comments that motivated Bryce Harper: ‘He wasn’t supposed to hear’

“Atta boy Harper” motivated Bryce Harper to hit a pair of home runs in Game 3.

It was the set of comments that lit a fire under Bryce Harper.

After the Atlanta Braves’ Game 2 win thanks to Michael Harris’s amazing catch and Harper getting doubled off first because he ran past second base, a Fox Sports reporter overheard Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia saying, repeatedly, “Ha-ha, atta-boy, Harper.”

In Game 3, Harper stared down Arcia twice as he rounded the bases for two dingers in the Philadelphia Phillies’ win on Wednesday night.

Arcia, of course, was asked about the comments after Game 3, and he said that Harper wasn’t supposed to hear them because they was said in the clubhouse:

Braves catcher Travis D’Arnaud added that “the clubhouse is a sanctuary.”

Here’s Harper talking about the comments:

This, I’m sure, will make players think twice at what they’re saying when reporters are around, even if mics aren’t on them at the moment.

 

The photo of Bryce Harper staring down Orlando Arcia was worth more than 1,000 words

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Bryce Harper agrees.

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper’s glare across to Atlanta Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia has already produced one of the defining moments of this MLB Playoffs.

After he knocked a three-run homer out of Citizens Bank Park, Harper stared down Arcia as he rounded the bases after Arcia allegedly poked fun at Harper was the last out in the Braves’ Game 2 ALDS win.

Well, Harper clearly took this alleged slight seriously as he tried to cast some not-so-subtle shade Arcia’s way on this game-altering homer.

The Phillies social media team shared a very clear photo of this moment on Twitter, and you can see Harper’s glare for yourself in high definition.

Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that photo of Harper right there sums itself up about as well as anyone could.

We’ll see if Arcia gets the last laugh in a Braves series win, or if Harper’s stare will be the defining image of this NLDS.

Bryce Harper stared down Orlando Arcia not once but twice after 2 massive NLDS home runs

Bryce Harper is stone cold.

Bryce Harper is no stranger to big moments in Philadelphia. Last season, Harper lit the city on fire with his game-winning home run that sent the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series. And now, against the Atlanta Braves, Harper has ignited the city of Philadelphia once more.

The Phillies came into Wednesday night’s Game 3 of the NLDS tied 1-1 with the Braves after Michael Harris II made a stunning catch and double play to end Philadelphia’s hopes of a comeback. It was Harper who was tagged out for the double play, just barely missing getting back to base after starting to run to third.

After the demoralizing ending for the Phillies, Braves’ shortstop Orlando Arcia reportedly ribbed Harper for his mistake, according to Fox Sports analyst Jake Mintz.

All while Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia cackled emphatically about Harper’s misfortune, bellowing “ha-ha, atta-boy, Harper!” repeatedly as reporters circled the room.

Well, it’s clear Harper took that jab personally. With Game 3 tied 1-1 in the bottom of the third, Harper took Bryce Elder deep for an absolute moonshot that gave the Phillies the lead. And on his way around second, it seemed as if Harper shot Arcia a look.

Here’s a better angle of the home run and Harper’s look.

If it wasn’t obvious enough, Harper stared down Arcia AGAIN after his second home run of the night, this time a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Seems like Arcia woke the bear in a big way. Here’s how MLB fans reacted to Harper’s staredowns of Arcia during Wednesday’s Game 3.

Orlando Arcia unleashed the most dramatic scream after taking Ball 3 and MLB fans loved it

He was FIRED UP.

Not much was going right for the Atlanta Braves early on in Tuesday’s Game 1 of the NLDS against the Phillies. But as it tends to go in postseason baseball, the slightest moment can be enough to tip the scales of momentum.

But a celebration for taking a third ball? You don’t see that happen too often.

After the Braves had scored two runs in the fifth inning to cut the score to 7-3, Orlando Arcia was at the plate and looking to put more pressure on the Phillies. Then, in an attempt to rattle Connor Brogdon and fire up his dugout, Arcia screamed and posed while avoiding a high-and-tight third ball.

And when I say, he screamed, I really mean it.

When you’re down big in a playoff game, a high-energy player like that is essential. At the same time, though, you better get on base after celebrating a third ball. And that’s exactly what Arcia did: He reached on a walk.

Though he’d end up getting stranded on base, fans loved that moment from Arcia. He was fired up.

The Braves’ Orlando Arcia actually ran around Ron Washington’s stop sign and scored anyway

He ran AROUND the coach!

Atlanta Braves third base coach Ron Washington has had his share of gutsy send decisions in recent years — especially during the postseason. So, when Washington throws up the stop sign, it’s usually a good idea to take notice to it.

Orlando Arcia had other ideas, and it somehow still worked out in his favor.

During the Braves’ 5-3 win over the Phillies on Tuesday, Arcia tried to give the Braves a ninth-inning insurance run off an Adam Duvall double. And as Arcia was rounding third, Washington stepped right into the base path to throw up the stop sign. Like, Arcia had to see it — Washington was *right* there.

Instead of stopping, Arcia ran AROUND Washington and scored thanks to a bad throw, which Washington had to dodge.

Players run through stop signs — it happens. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player actually run around the third base coach and still score. But when things are going right for a team, those moments tend to work out. Washington’s reaction was great too.

Baseball fans still thought the whole sequence was hilarious, though.

The Braves’ Orlando Arcia shared a funny moment with Luis Urias after trying to scare him on a pop fly

They’re old teammates!

One of the great aspects of postseason baseball is the intensity. The stakes are high — particularly in a five-game series. Every pitch matters, and that intensity often plays out in the demeanor of everyone on the field.

But sometimes you get a reminder that baseball is just a game, and there’s always an opportunity to have fun. That happened during Saturday’s NLDS Game 2 between the Braves and Brewers.

With the Braves threatening in the eighth and Eddie Rosario at the plate with two outs, the Braves outfielder popped up a foul ball in play near the Atlanta dugout. As the Brewers’ Luis Urias went towards the dugout to make the catch, you could see an Atlanta player shout at him. It was Orlando Arcia.