Harper rocks D.C. headband, U.S. armband

Reading the tea leaves on Bryce Harper's free agency destination has become a sport unto itself, with every little gesture and nuance up for debate.

But for those who want Harper to stay in D.C. and believe that he wants to, Monday night was a banner moment.

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It is likely that most Americans have no idea what the Washington, D.C. flag looks like, so Harper wrapped it around his head and wore Old Glory on his sleeve:

Bryce Harper rocking the D.C. bandana pic.twitter.com/5KVQEIxITD

— Jake Russell (@_JakeRussell) July 17, 2018

RT if you want Bryce Harper to win pic.twitter.com/noIcEJhgTM

— Baseball Bros (@BaseballBros) July 17, 2018

In front of his D.C. fans, Bryce Harper eliminated Freddie Freeman in the first round of the Home Run Derby with 13 home runs. Harper's first 2 home runs (446', 441') were longer than any Freddie Freeman hit in his round.[@ESPNStatsInfo> pic.twitter.com/c8Hlhb2zRO

— Everything Sports (@EverySport5) July 17, 2018

Harper proceeded to mash the baseball in the first round, crushing 13 dingers and eliminating opponent Freddie Freeman:

Nats Park as @Bharper3407 surpasses Freddie Freeman #HRDERBY pic.twitter.com/zNn1IqdTFO

— 106.7 The Fan (@1067theFan) July 17, 2018

Welcome to Bryceland. pic.twitter.com/8RiDLrRcb3

— MLB (@MLB) July 17, 2018

Bryce Harper got in a GROOVE. pic.twitter.com/N1lkg0sruL

— ESPN (@espn) July 17, 2018

By advancing to the second round, Harper inspired a generation of Twitter comedians with the same joke: finally the Nats got out of the first round. Zing!

Harper also compared favorably to the field after round one. He hit two of the top-three longest home runs and five of the top-10:

I would say Bryce Harper delivered a show in the first round. pic.twitter.com/ICSUeyyAID

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) July 17, 2018

The first half of the season was a tough one for Harper, as he struggled to hit for average and finally get into the groove. While there is usually concern that the Home Run Derby can hurt a player's swing, this might be just what the doctor ordered for the hometown slugger.

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