Democracy Dies in Darkness
Nationals

Bryce Harper, Joey Gallo and a bond forged by baseball since they were kids

Well before Harper signed a $330 million contract and Gallo landed a one-year deal with the Nationals, the two were 8- and 9-year-old teammates on a Vegas travel team.

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Joey Gallo and Bryce Harper first shared a field when they were just 8 and 9 years old. “It didn’t really matter what was ahead of us because we just had so much fun playing together,” Harper says. (Courtesy of Joey Gallo)
7 min

The picture is sweet until you realize it’s stunning, absolutely stunning. The kid on the left is 8, and as his travel ball infielders gathered at the mound, he reached to pat the head of his catcher, who’s 9 and towers above the rest.

“Oh, that?” Bryce Harper asked, looking at the photo. “That’s the picture that comes up on my phone whenever Joey calls me.”