You wanted a rivalry? You got a rivalry.
Were only a month into the 2012 baseball season, but this is already getting good.
After the Nationals ill-fated Take back the Stadium ploy? After a weekend of Flyers and Eagles chants infuriated the locals at Nationals Park? After Cole Hamels hit Bryce Harper Sunday night and then openly admitted to doing it? After Jordan Zimmerman hit Hamels two innings later? After Nationals GM Mike Rizzo called Hamels classless and gutless?
Oh yeah, were on.
The Phillies are five-time reigning N.L. East champs, but while the Phillies were busy going to the playoffs every year since 2007, the Nationals were busy selecting at the top of the draft every year. The Phillies have a World Series title, and the Nationals have 19-year-old phenom Bryce Harper, fireballing Stephen Strasburg and a roster jammed with young, talented players.
And Hamels said late Sunday night that a rivalry with the Nationals might be just what the Phillies need.
Thats what makes it exciting in baseball, he said after pitching eight strong innings in the Phillies 9-3 win at Nationals Park in Washington. Thats what you want. To see your fans really get involved. ...
MLB
You can feel the energy, and you want to play harder and I think thats what it really takes to get more people to watch our series when were playing each other. Its a long year, and when you have a series to look forward to, it kind of makes things go a little bit quicker and the excitement really takes you to another level of play.
The statement Hamels made when he hit Harper on national TV Sunday night was that the Phillies arent quite ready yet to relinquish N.L. East bragging rights to the upstart Nationals.
I think it could be a really good rivalry, Hamels said. Were so close, our fans can drive down, their fans can drive up, and their team is starting to to peak into a really good competitive team.
So while I guess the Mets kind of have gone the other direction, the Nationals have come up, so I think its going to be really exciting to see. What do we have, 16 more games against them? I think its going to be a really good series.
Manager Charlie Manuel tried to downplay the Phillies-Nationals rivalry. His point is that, yeah, the Nationals want to beat the Phillies, but so does everybody else.
I think they like to play us, but I think everybody in our league likes to play us, he said. I think everybody in our league always gets up for us. Mets always play us tough. Go back and look, the Mets always played us good, usually had a winning record against us. Florida used to play us good, last few years weve kind of took care of them. Atlanta, thats always a good series.
But theres something about the Nationals right now. After missing the playoffs 40 straight years going back to their days as the Montreal Expos, theyre off to an 18-10 start, matching the best record in the National League.
Going into Monday night, when the Phillies open a three-game series with the Mets at Citizens Bank Park and the Nationals open a three-game series against the Pirates in Pittsburgh, the Nationals led the division by half a game over the Braves, and the 14-15 Phils were sitting in last place, although just 4 12 games back.
The Phils and Nationals meet next in a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park starting May 21. Six of their last nine games of the season are also against one another.
They got us in the extra-inning game Friday and obviously hit us pretty hard Saturday so its kind of nice to be able to get a win the way we did, Hamels said. Theyre the team ahead right now, and weve got to catch up.
The Phillies left Washington Sunday night impressed with Harper, the 19-year-old outfielder who was the first pick in the 2010 draft.
Hes impressive, Hamels said. Hes got a lot of talent. Hes going to be a really good ballplayer. To be able to steal home and stretch a single into a double? If he keeps doing that, hes going to make a really good name for himself.
Harper stole home in the first after getting hit by a Hamels fastball, and in the eighth, he turned a routine base hit to left into a double.
Manuel was also impressed after his first time seeing Harper, although what impressed him the most was the way Harper reacted after failing to make a diving catch of a ninth-inning line drive by Carlos Ruiz.
He impressed me with his hustle, Manuel said. I was impressed when he almost caught the ball in left field. I was impressed with that. I was impressed with the way he dove and how quick he got up.
You know what, thats setting a real good example. I hope the kid always plays that way, because thats the way youre always supposed to play. Thats a good example of how to play. And you never take nothing for granted by playing like that.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com