Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Bryce Harper (3) appeared to use his media time to throw shade at former skipper Joe Girardi. Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Did Bryce Harper take a shot at Joe Girardi after Phillies sweep?

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 6/6/22

The Philadelphia Phillies are obviously happy to have four straight wins under their belt after a tumultuous start to their season, especially after Sunday's impressive come-from-behind victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

But after Sunday's 9-7 win, slugger Bryce Harper appeared to use his media time to throw shade at former skipper Joe Girardi.

Sunday's win completed a three-game sweep of the Angels and was capped off by a grand slam by Harper and a game-winning walk-off homer by rookie Bryson Stott. When talking about Stott's big hit after the game, Harper told the Philadelphia Inquirer it was nice giving so much responsibility to the younger players "the last couple of days" -- appearing to take a shot at Girardi being fired middle of last week.

Harper on Stott's walkoff home run: “I’m so happy for the kid, man. What an at-bat. What a situation for him. Being able to put our trust in our young guys the last couple days, and really let them just play… it’s been great. And it paid off today.”
— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) June 5, 2022

Harper elaborated by saying the younger players need to get more games in, it's hard to ignore his quick reference to things going better for the team since Girardi's exit.

Harper on the importance of playing younger guys: “The thing about Bryson is he’s got to play. He’s used to playing every day. From high school, to college, to minor league baseball, to now. He’s used to playing every day, and that’s what we’ve got to do for our young guys..."
— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) June 5, 2022

Philadelphia was 21-30 on the season prior to Girardi being let go. Despite having a stacked lineup on paper, the team was surprisingly underwhelming in the first couple of months of the 2022 campaign, and fingers were pointed at Girardi for not being able to motivate the team. Since Rob Thomson has taken over as interim manager, the team has gone 3-0.

The Phillies start a three-game road trip against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday before returning to Citizens Bank Park for a six-game homestand.

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