Philadelphia Phillies\u00a0outfielder Bryce Harper grew up as a fan of the\u00a0New York Yankees, which was passed down to him by his father. Even when Harper played for the Washington Nationals, he selected his jersey number\u00a0in honor of Yankees legend Mickey Mantle.<\/p>\n
“I grew up a Yankee fan my whole life, everybody knew that,”\u00a0Harper told ESPN’s Pat McAfee. “I grew up watching some really good Yankee teams. … I loved those teams.”<\/p>\n
At one point, Harper seemed destined to don the pinstripes. After spending seven seasons in Washington, Harper was set to hit free agency in 2019, and all reports indicated that he had his heart set on joining New York. Yet, Harper’s childhood dream never became a reality.<\/p>\n
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman opted to pass on acquiring Harper, who ultimately signed with Philadelphia in free agency. That decision has haunted Yankees fans ever since, and they received a painful reminder of it once again.<\/p>\n
In\u00a0a social media video posted on Wednesday, Harper wasted no time professing his love for Yankee Stadium.<\/p>\n
When Harper became a free agent in 2018, agent Scott Boras desperately attempted to get the Yankees involved. Boras tried to sell Cashman on Harper\u2019s athleticism and ability to play first base,\u00a0per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Cashman didn\u2019t see a fit, and New York didn\u2019t even give Harper a cursory phone call to show exploratory interest,\u00a0according to The Athletic.<\/p>\n