Bryce Harper arrived at Nationals Park this afternoon for his first home game in the majors, and he believed this is place he belongs. He felt more at ease in his first two major league games than all the minor league games before them. For a player with “big leagues” stamped on him since adolescence, reaching the highest level means more pressure than playing in them.

“I think that was the biggest thing,” Harper said. “When I got to L.A., I got really comfortable. In Triple A, it was like, ‘God, I got to prove. I got to do stuff to get back up to the big leagues.’ I wanted to be there so bad. Once I got up here, it was like a calm went over my body. You’re here. Just play your game like you know how to play.”