Inside The Phillies

Bryce Harper Goes Viral After Helping Local Kid with Prom Proposal

Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper helped a local New Jersey kid seal the deal with his prom proposal.

Kade Kistner

May 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first base Bryce Harper (3)
May 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first base Bryce Harper (3) / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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They always say, "if you don't ask, it's always a no."

That was apparently on the mind of Jake Portello, a local New Jersey high school student who went to Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper's house, knocked on the door and asked him to be his wingman for a prom proposal.

According to Fox 29, Harper originally took a moment to think about while first asking for Jake's email to plan it out. As Jake was walking away, Harper agreed to the idea right then and there.

"I knocked on his door, he seemed cool with it at first, then he was like ‘can I get your email so we can plan this out?’ and as I was leaving he was like ‘why don’t we do this right now," Jake told The Phantastic Sports Show.

In a cute moment, Jake and Harper stood on the prom date's front porch and knocked on the door. As the young lady opened the door Harper asked if she would go to prom with Jake where she responded with an emphatic "yes!"

"I wasn't expecting this, I thought it'd be something cool among my friends and people in my town and stuff," Jake said. "I didn't even expect [Harper] to open the door in the first place."

Harper has endeared himself to the local community for doing things exactly like this. While his play on the field has earned him an MVP while with the Phillies, it is his off-field actions that create goodwill among the fans and their drive to keep him a Phillie for life.

He's a perfect fit for Philadelphia.

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Kade Kistner
KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl.  During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated.  Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.

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