Washington Nationals' rookie Byrce Harper hit his first home run in the bottom of the third inning against the San Diego Padres on Monday night. Harper took a Tyler Stauffer slider to straight away center field, ripping it into the green grass of the batter's eye section beyond the wall.
It was a solo homer that capped a three-run inning for Washington. Harper held back on the breaking ball, going inside-out to drive one. He set a brisk pace on his first trot around the bases. The crowd was sparse at Nationals Park, but they still requested a curtain call from superstar rookie. Harper obliged and went to the top of the dugout, acknowledging the fans.
The Nationals lead the series opener against the Padres 4-3 in the top of the fourth.
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