Bryce Harper unrewarded for His Fantastic throw

What does a guy have to do to get an out at home plate? Bryce Harper is still trying, but he'll make it if he keeps throwing as he did Tuesday night. Here's how Adam Kilgore of the Washington Postdescribed Harper's throw from roughly 300 feet:

And, despite the call of umpire Jeff Nelson, baserunner John McDonald of Arizona was out at the plate — as the video and the Zapruder-like stills captured via D.C. blog Mr. Irrelevant show. It's the second time in as many throws home that Harper got robbed. Jerry Hairston of the Dodgers knocked the ball loose from the mitt of catcher Wilson Ramos after Harper uncoiled for a dead-eye throw inthe 19-year-old's major league debut on Saturday.

This time, Ramos kept the ball and applied a tag perfectly. Despite an otherwise "meh" game for the Nats, the clubhouse was buzzing about Harper's toss. He did it how he was supposed to, coach Bo Porter said:

Harper used to be a catcher before the Nats moved him to the outfield in the low minors. Post columnist Thomas Boswell said on Twitter he thought Harper could make an MLB team at all nine positions. Just like Steve Lyons. OK, not like that at all.

The Nats, by the way, got another great throw from Rick Ankiel in center field that actually did bear fruit by getting an out. Some nice hoses out there, Washington has.