Bryce Harper will be introduced as a member of the Phillies Saturday afternoon. Here is how you can watch the press conference.
A new era in Phillies baseball officially began Friday night when the team announced they have signed Bryce Harper to a 13-year contract. The announcement caps off what has been a tumultuous but ultimately successful offseason for the team.
Harper landed in Clearwater Friday on owner John Middleton’s jet. He will be introduced Saturday at a press conference Saturday along with general manager Matt Klentak, owner John Middleton, and agent Scott Boras.
Here is all the information you need to watch the conference:
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Date: March 2, 2019
Time: 2:00 PM EST
Location: Clearwater, FL
Stadium: Spectrum Field (on top of the first base dugout)
Radio Station: 94 WIP
TV Channel: NBC Sports Philadelphia, MLB Network
Live Stream: NBCSP Live, NBCSP My Teams App, MLB.com
Harper will be introduced with his new number, opting to go from his original No. 34 to No. 3, as confirmed by the team on their Instagram story. The team is reportedly considering retiring 34 for Roy Halladay. The decision to change numbers will assuredly come up during the conference.
It’s...beautiful pic.twitter.com/w8nHn6PBGw
— PHILLIES TBOH (@FS_TBOH) March 2, 2019
Since the Harper signing was first reported, the team has sold 180,000 tickets. After already outpacing last year’s sales by 200,000, signing Harper took things to the next level. Opening Day tickets doubled in price just over an hour after news of the signing broke. Fans are ready to fill Citizens Bank Park again and bring attendance numbers back up to 2008-2011 level.
This will also be Harper’s first chance to prove the narrative about him not liking Philadelphia wrong in person. His contract shows he is committed to staying here with zero opt-outs, but he can officially put the narrative to rest when he inevitably gets asked about it.
Once Harper dons the red pinstripes in his new No. 3 jersey, the fun can truly begin.