Nationals reaching World Series should intensify rivalry with Phillies, Bryce Harper

Despite losing Bryce Harper to the Philadelphia Phillies in the offseason, the Washington Nationals managed to punch their ticket to the 2019 World Series on Wednesday.

Towards the end of February when Bryce Harper agreed to sign a whopping $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, most baseball fans assumed this would lead to a year of rebuilding for the Washington Nationals.

Turns out, this was far from the case after the Nationals officially punched their ticket to the World Series on Tuesday after completing a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals, all while the Phillies spent the entire playoffs watching from home.

Rightfully so, it was easy to understand the hype in Philadelphia following the signing of Harper since this seemed like the big free agency move fans had patiently been waiting for to help their beloved team become a serious contender in the National League once again.

Not only did the Phillies fail to even earn a Wild Card spot in the playoff race before eventually firing Gabe Kapler, but Philadelphia finished in fourth place in the NL East standings.

Meanwhile, the Nationals continue to find new ways to amaze by the week when taking into consideration they not only swept the Cardinals the NLCS, but also survived the Atlanta Braves in a tough five-game series along with defeating the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card game.

One can only imagine how Harper and Phillies fans in general will feel if Washington ends up taking down the New York Yankees or Houston Astros in the World Series.

But one thing is certain, which is if the rivalry between the Phillies and Nationals seems like it’s going to hit a new level moving forward after the results of this season.

Harper leaving Washington in the offseason came as a huge surprise by many since the Nationals seemed to do everything in their power to convince the star outfielder to return, and watching him join a divisional rival added even more salt to the wound.

However, even if the Nationals come up short in the World Series, Washington has still earned the rights for the last laugh over Philadelphia, at least for now.

If the Nationals do end up winning their first World Series title in franchise history, Harper and the Phillies will need to prepare for months of hearing about this non-stop, because it would mean Washington made out better without their former star outfielder.

And if this didn’t already seem frustrating enough for Philadelphia, Washington will also enjoy the one factor of the rivalry even more that involves all of the money saved by the Nationals after missing out on Harper, and still seeing better results for 2019.