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Bryce Harper and ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s’ Rob McElhenney are officially friends, will ‘have a catch sometime’

It took Rob McElhenney the better part of a decade to earn Chase Utley’s friendship following a beloved episode of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Now it's Bryce Harper's turn.

Phillies Bryce Harper bats against the Tampa Bay Rays in a spring training game on Monday, March 11, 2019 at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, FL.
Phillies Bryce Harper bats against the Tampa Bay Rays in a spring training game on Monday, March 11, 2019 at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, FL.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer

It took Rob McElhenney the better part of a decade to earn Chase Utley’s friendship following a beloved episode of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia in which his character, Mac, penned an overly enthusiastic fan latter for the former Phillie. But when it comes to new team member Bryce Harper, that same feat only took a couple of weeks, tops.

McElhenney contacted Harper on social media on Monday following a tweet from the Phillies’ account that paired an imagine of the new Phillies outfielder with a quote from It’s Always Sunny’s “The Night Man Cometh” from 2008. In response, McElhenney asked Harper if he wanted to have a catch like in his old letter to Utley.

About 90 minutes later, Harper responded positively, writing that he was sure the pair would have “a real ‘grand slam’ of a friendship,’ as McElhenney’s Mac formerly told Utley.

“Let’s have a catch sometime this summer at the Bank,” Harper added.

Not satisfied with just one additional MLB friendship, McElhenney also reached out to Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout, who famously hails from Vineland, New Jersey. In his message, the It’s Always Sunny star told Trout that he “can’t throw as fast as you can,” but thought that the baseball standout would still “be impressed with my speed.”

Trout, who has not tweeted since March 6, did not respond.

“I like your hair,” McElhenney added. “These are all the things we can talk about and more. See you in 2020!”

McElhenney, of course, is no stranger to friendships with Philly sports icons thanks to his time on It’s Always Sunny. Last season, he even brought Jason Kelce and Beau Allen onto the showfor a special Super Bowl-themed episode.

Mac’s fan letter to Utley has been a beloved reference for fans of It’s Always Sunny since the episode in which it premiered, season 5’s “The World Series Defense,” aired in 2009. Since then, it has been used by everyone from Dock Street Brewery, who debuted an It’s Always Sunny-themed beer last year, to Utley himself. In 2013, the former Phillie famously responded to Mac’s initial letter, writing that “having a game of catch sounds like a lot of fun” but he was too “busy playing a lot of baseball for the Phillies.”

“I hope you have a good life,” Utley wrote. “Fans like you make my life a ‘grand slam.’”