Out at the plate: Customs agents seize fake Bryce Harper jerseys

Well, that didn’t take long, say U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials — not much longer than a seventh-inning stretch.

Agents in Philadelphia have seized 314 fake Bryce Harper Phillies jerseys that, if authentic, would fetch about $44,000.

International criminal organizations are quick to counterfeit any kind of popular merchandise, and the new star’s jersey “is among the hottest consumer goods selling today," said Casey Durst, CBP director of field operations in Baltimore. “It was a good bet that we’d start seeing” the fakes.

The jerseys arrived in six express-delivery shipments, the largest containing 204 shirts, the others between 18 and 25 each. All came from Hong Kong and were headed to addresses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Counterfeit jerseys tend to be made with substandard fabrics, some of which can be dangerously flammable. The fakes also deprive trademark holders of revenue and American workers of jobs — and help fund other scams and schemes, the CBP said.

The agency began seizing the jerseys soon after Opening Day. Nationwide, on a typical day last year, CBP says, its officers seized $3.7 million worth of products for intellectual property rights violations.