Bryce Harper shaves beard ahead of game against San Diego Padres Sep 5, 2023; San Diego, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) looks on during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies faced off against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday, and ahead of the game, a big change was made by Phillies slugger Bryce Harper.

Harper has been in the midst of a brutal stretch of play, failing to get a hit in the month of September thus far, going 0-16 in the month ahead of Wednesday’s game.

This may have prompted Harper to make a chance to his appearance, as he decided to shave his beard for Tuesday’s game.

It obviously could be a coincidence that he decided to shave his beard amidst his cold stretch. But Harper has largely sported facial hair for the majority of his career, and fans believe that this decision to shave was a direct result of his poor performance as of late.

Whatever the reasoning, most fans resoundingly were against his new look…

 

Players each have their own superstitions that they believe will help fix their play in the middle of a slump. Unfortunately for Harper, the short-term results of his new look were not very promising.

Harper’s hitless streak continued against the Padres on Tuesday night, going 0-3 with a walk.

And even worse, the Phillies offense has perhaps their worst game of the season, recording only three hits as a team while getting shutout in an ugly 8-0 loss.

[Todd Zolecki]

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.