Bryce Harper Hits Home Run in 1st At-Bat vs. Braves on 2016 Opening Day

The reigning National League MVP is picking up right where he left off in 2015.

In his first at-bat of the 2016 season, Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper sent a Julio Teheran slider into the right field bleachers, giving the Nats a 1-0 lead over the Atlanta Braves on Monday in the first inning.  

According to James Wagner of the Washington Post, it's Harper's fourth home run on Opening Day.

He might have been motivated by getting a less than welcoming reception from the Turner Field crowd, per MASN's Dan Kolko:

Harper certainly enjoys stepping up to the plate when Teheran is on the mound, per David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

The only disappointment from the home run was that Harper didn't play up his jog around the bases after Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench criticized his occasionally expressive celebrations on the field while calling in to The Rich Eisen Show (h/t Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media).

The Nationals will unquestionably need Harper to stay healthy and produce offensively if they're to contend for the NL East crown. The fact that he's already off to a hot start will be good news for Washington.