Bryce Harper seeks 100th career homer in matchup with Marlins

(AP) Sometimes it feels like Bryce Harper has been around forever.

When you watch him play, it feels like he’s been dominating baseball for a decades. When you read a story about him, it feels like he’s been in the headlines your entire life.

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Then you look at the numbers and realize something kinda scary. This will only be Harper’s fifth MLB season. Granted, we’ve been hearing the hype since he was 16, but he’s accomplished a lot and made an unmatched impression in a very short time.

Once that settles in, you’re left to marvel at the possibilities that lie ahead as this 23-year-old superstar enters the prime years of his playing career.

Harper’s baseball résumé already includes an NL Rookie of the Year award in 2012. He’s the reigning NL MVP after smashing 40 homers in 2015. He’s a three-time All-Star. He’s done so much, yet so many milestones are still there to be reached, and one of those milestones is actually just one swing away.

(Yahoo Sports) The next home run Harper hits will be No. 100 for his career, and if he can do it in the next eight days, he will become the eighth-youngest player to reach that milestone, passing luminaries such as Albert Pujols, Hank Aaron and Ken Griffey Jr.

That adds some intrigue to Sunday’s matchup against the Miami Marlins, which also happens to be the Yahoo Sports MLB Free Game of the Day. The game begins at 1:35 p.m. ET, and you can stream it for free at sports.yahoo.com/videos or right here.

Harper has already shown his flair the dramatic this season, launching his fourth career opening-day home run on Monday in Atlanta. He followed up by homering in Washington’s home opener against Miami on Thursday just moments after receiving his MVP and Silver Slugger trophies, along with the key to the city from Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser.

Yes, Harper is doing quite well, but so too is Miami’s power man Giancarlo Stanton. Now healthy after a broken bone in his wrist limited him to 74 games last season, Stanton is closing in on his own milestone. He’s just 18 home runs shy of 200 career home runs, and assuming he stays healthy, he should blow past that number by the All-Star break.

Let’s just cut to the chase: Any time Harper and Stanton are on the same field, it’s a must-see event. Sunday will be no different, especially after Mother Nature made her presence felt on Saturday. WIth that game postponed, both teams have pushed back their scheduled starters. That means we’ll see Tom Koehler vs. Joe Ross, as opposed to Jarred Cosart vs. Max Scherzer.

That should mean good things for Harper and Stanton, and even better viewing for baseball fans.

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