​PHILADELPHIA — As Bryce Harper bounced toward home, he puckered his lips and blew a kiss.A thin, unflattering mustache traced his upper lip, the kind you grow as a teenager because you can — not because you should. The date was June 6, 2011. Harper, an 18-year-old playing for the Low-A Hagerstown Suns in the Washington Nationals’ system, was already one of the most famous ballplayers on the planet. Moments earlier, he’d clobbered a go-ahead home run against the visiting Greensboro Grasshoppers, breaking a scoreless tie in a game that turned chippy.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGreensboro starter Zach Neal had been abnormally demonstrative toward Hagerstown’s hitters  as he carved through their lineup that night, staring guys back to the dugout and offering direct verbal instigation. It eventually reached a breaking point. Somebody in the Suns’ dugout hollered out, “Is someone going to do something about this?”So when Harper connected, he took an extra beat to admire his handiwork, sending his dugout into a joyful frenzy. That act of supposed showboating angered Neal, who started barking at Harper as the slugger began his trot. At first, the game’s top prospect refused to engage, touching ‘em all with his head down and his eyes averted.But between third and home, Harper’s dramatic side got the best of him.By morning, the smooch was a national story.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”I would say, Bryce, if you’re going to hit a lot of ’em … you’d better learn not to show up the pitcher because it’s just going to get tougher and tougher on you if you watch your home runs,” Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt lectured the following day on SportsCenter.For many, the kiss offered yet another example of an immature, entitled, cocky brat ignoring baseball’s accepted code of conduct. Writers penned thinkpieces. Fans volleyed criticism. Big leaguers rolled their eyes. The Nationals scrambled to put out the PR fire, framing the gesture as a teaching moment.Harper, asked recently to reminisce about the incident, insisted that he was simply trying to catalyze his club during a tense moment.“For me, it was more ‘for the team’ at that moment, not necessarily me against him,” the nine-time All-Star said. “Because the rah-rahness of that night was just so over the top.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOne opposing player that night, also now a big leaguer, had a slightly different perspective.“Yeah, I thought Bryce was kind of jerkish,” J.T. Realmuto, Harper’s current teammate with the Phillies, shared with Yahoo Sports a few years ago. “A lot of it stemmed from jealousy. But he was young. He would say he was probably more arrogant than he should have been.”Time and proximity have shifted that perception. Realmuto and Harper have shared a clubhouse for the past eight seasons. They’ve grown up, gotten married, had kids, turned 30, mellowed out, gained perspective. They are friends now. Harper has change