‘He gets it’: How Bryce Harper made the day of a 14-year-old fan with a heart condition

On Saturday afternoon, Mason Strickland sat patiently in his wheelchair on the dirt at Citizens Bank Park in 90-degree heat, hoping to catch a glimpse of his hero. Getting to Philadelphia was not easy, but few things are for Strickland, a 14-year-old Phillies fan from Utah who was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. When he was 2, he had a heart transplant. When he was 10, he had a stroke and lost his ability to walk. Every four hours, he has to take 12 medications. It is not a seventh grader’s idea of a good time.

But Mason has refused to let his condition define him. He played youth baseball until he was unable to walk. He was not the biggest or the fastest player, but he was the most passionate. He played right field because his favorite player, Bryce Harper, played right field. He isn’t able to do that anymore, but if Harper is in a game, Mason will watch it.

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Which is why he trekked over 2,000 miles from Utah to Philadelphia with his parents, Mark and Summer: to see his hero play in person. Mason showed up prepared. He wore his Phillies headband and a Harper jersey, with a second Harper jersey draped over his wheelchair, in case anyone questioned who he was there to see. The Stricklands are friendly with Dale Murphy and David Studdard, who know Harper personally. Studdard texted Mark a few days ago to let him know that he’d gotten field passes for the family to watch batting practice. What Mark didn’t realize was that Harper had been contacted by Murphy and had plans to give Mason a surprise visit.

The 2021 NL MVP walked up the steps with his arms full of gear and a grin on his face.

“Are you excited for the game? I’ve got some batting gloves for you,” he said. “An arm sleeve, a wrist guard, a bat, some cleats…”

Then he looked down.

“I like your shoes,” he said, pointing to Mason’s Jordans.

“I don’t like your socks very much.”

Mason smiled. He was wearing Dodger blue socks. The two talked for a few minutes. Harper signed all of the gear he’d given away and then crouched down to meet Mason at eye level. He gave him a fist bump, shook Mark’s hand, and went about the rest of day.

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“These guys get approached all of the time, and we just appreciate him being so kind,” Mark said. “It means a lot. You never think you’re going to be in this circumstance, and Bryce has little kids. He gets it. This is what a lot of people don’t get to see about these guys: that they’re dads, too.”

Mason was more concise. He summed his thoughts with one word.

“Amazing.”

Harper was back in the lineup Saturday, after missing five days following his platelet-rich plasma injection. He said he took swings on Wednesday and Friday and will take some on Saturday.

“It feels good,” he said. “I think today was the day we were kind of planning on for now. The last couple of days were tough for me, but I woke up yesterday feeling good, and today feeling better as well.”