Bryce Harper gets last laugh in return to D.C. as Phillies best Nationals 8-2 - MLB

Nationals fans were elated as Bryce Harper fell victim to Max Scherzer, striking out in each of his first two trips to the plate in his return to Nationals Park, his former home. The Phillies’ $330 million man had the last laugh, however. Harper finished 3-for-5, a triple shy of the cycle, with three RBI. The Phillies beat the Nationals 8-2, remaining baseball’s only unbeaten team at 4-0.

The contingent of Phillies fans that made the trip down to the nation’s capital drowned out boos by chanting, “We got Harper!” after the star’s sixth-inning single and his eighth-inning dinger. Nationals fans, some of whom defaced and destroyed their Harper jerseys, were left with nothing to do but sit in stunned silence.

Phillies starter Zach Eflin out-dueled Scherzer, tossing five shutout innings on 85 pitches, registering nine strikeouts while yielding only three hits a walk. Scherzer logged five innings on 96 pitches, serving up a pair of runs (one earned) on seven hits and a walk with nine strikeouts.

Third baseman and No. 8 hitter Maikel Franco opened the scoring in the second inning, ripping a home run to left field off of Scherzer. In the fourth, catcher Yan Gomes was unable to block a Scherzer pitch in the dirt, which allowed Odúbel Herrera to score the second run. In the sixth, Herrera led off with a double and advanced to third base on a wild pitch by Wander Suero. Suero bounced back, striking out César Hernández. Manager Dave Martinez had Suero intentionally walk Franco to put runners on the corners, then brought in lefty reliever Matt Grace, which forced Phillies manager Gabe Kapler to pinch-hit for Eflin with Nick Williams. Grace struck out Williams, then walked Andrew McCutchen to load the bases for Jean Segura. Segura snuck a ground ball down the right field line, bringing home three runs. Harper came up next and lined a single to left-center, bringing home the sixth run of the game. He advanced to second base on the throw home.

Anthony Rendon put the Nationals on the board in the bottom of the sixth, lifting a two-run home run off of lefty reliever José Álvarez. Harper got those runs back for the Phillies in the top of the eighth, smashing a Jeremy Hellickson fastball into the second deck in right-center, pushing the Phillies’ lead back to six runs at 8-2. The blast was measured at 458 feet.

Adam Morgan worked a scoreless bottom of the eighth for the Phillies to bring the game into the final frame. Vince Velasquez got the ball in the ninth. At this point, the seats at Nationals Park on this cold and rainy night were mostly empty, save for Phillies fans. Velasquez got Ryan Zimmerman to ground out, then struck out Yan Gomes and Brian Dozier to end the game.

Harper got the spotlight, but Franco also deserves to be mentioned. Along with the homer, he was intentionally walked three times and singled. He has reached base five times without aid of a fielding error just twice before in his career.

The Phillies are 4-0 to start the season. The only other time the Phillies started a season 4-0 were 1897 and 1915.

The two clubs will match up on Wednesday afternoon for the finale of the two-game set. They meet again in Philly on Monday for a three-game series. This could be the start of a terrific rivalry in a highly competitive NL East.

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CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.