Bryce Harper’s red contact lenses

Bryce Harper got the world talking about his appearance again Wednesday afternoon by wearing red contacts to combat the Sun Monster at Nats Park.

This is hardly a new thing in the world of sports; Sports Illustrated ran a lengthy story on the lenses seven years ago, which help reduce glare and block out blue light, according to players.

“You’re able to focus and see the spin and rotation of the ball better,” Brian Roberts told the magazine then. “But it freaks people out. You kind of look like Satan.”

The Times’s Amanda Comak reported that Harper tested out the contacts during batting practice on Wednesday before showing them off to a national TV audience during the first inning.

“Harper wasn’t sure if he’d use them during the game — when he came out to test them there were clouds in front of the sun so he couldn’t get the best read,” she wrote. “But it was interesting to see at least one player doing something somewhat out of the ordinary just in case the sun is bad at Nationals Park.”

(Images via @MichaelJenk, @xmasape and Guyism.)