Bryce Harper cost the Nationals a lot of money after Home Run Derby promotion backfires
Want to go to a baseball game for cheap? Now you can. Thanks to Bryce Harper, you can pay as little as $1 to go to a Washington Nationals game after his dominant performance in the 2018 MLB Home Run Derby.
How did Bryce Harper make the Nationals pay for his Home Run Derby performance?
It’s all thanks to a promotion gone wrong … er, right? We’re not exactly sure what the Nationals were hoping for when they decided to put this out there Monday morning.
Pssst … take $1 off #Nats tix for every HR Bryce hits during the #HRDerby
Code: DERBY
(Yes, really.) Watch tonight. Buy tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/5uYDe1nYuf
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 16, 2018
Harper did really well in the 2018 MLB Home Run Derby. In fact, he won the whole thing. On his way to hoisting the trophy, Harper belted 45 home runs. That means the Nationals are going to lose a lot of money on that promotion.
Or, as the team tweeted out minutes after Harper won it all:
brb … apologizing to our finance department https://t.co/oljm8UBESf
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 17, 2018
How cheap are Nationals tickets thanks to Bryce Harper?
There were a few restrictions on Harper’s home run promotion. The discount only applies for a few games, and you have to pay $1 to get in. The tickets aren’t free.
Nationals promise to reduce lower level tickets for five games depending on how many homers Bryce Harper hits. Tickets now down to $1. pic.twitter.com/KnFZr4WbsC
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 17, 2018
Still, that can net you some pretty good seats. If you want seats in the outfield for the game against the New York Mets on Aug. 1, you can get those for just a dollar. They usually go for $37, but not after the Harper discount.
If you were willing to pay a little more, seats down the third base line now cost $14 after the discount. You can sit in the section behind the visiting dugout for $27. Not bad!
How are fans responding to the Nationals’ discounted tickets?
Most are pretty happy, obviously. Though some have pointed out that the Nationals got off easy.
That’s $45, y’all are lucky that he batted last every time
— Hello (@qvsqw) July 17, 2018
Some took it as an opportunity to say Harper cheated.
Had to cheat to win. Wait for the ball to land before the next pitch, crooks.
— Blake Griffith (@MinerStrong69) July 17, 2018
In the end, there was one response that seemed more appropriate than the rest.
— Retired Beard (@JWerthsBeard) July 16, 2018
This isn’t the first time a team has offered a Home Run Derby discount
Back in 2013, the Oakland Athletics offered the same discount for Yoenis Cespedes.
So far we'll deduct $17 off tickets for 7/26. If Cespedes makes it to round 2, the savings compound. http://t.co/6CaIfX4llz #YoKnowsDerby
— Oakland Athletics 🌳🐘⚾️ (@Athletics) July 16, 2013
Cespedes popped 32 total home runs by the end of the night, beating Harper in the finals during the 2013 Home Run Derby.
Harper came through this time, winning the event and saving Nationals’ fans a lot of money in the process.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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