HOUSTON — Phillies fans have loved Bryce Harper from the moment the superstar slugger chose the Philadelphia as his new baseball home. It’s Philly love, of course, so it’s laced with a bit of skepticism and angst and even occasional boos, but it’s still love.
They loved him because he chose Philly. They loved him because he chose a contract without any opt-outs, though as a 26-year-old free agent with an MVP award on his resume, he was in position to request as many as he wanted. They loved him because he was clear from the outset that he chose the fans as much as he chose the franchise. And they loved him because they believed he could bring the franchise back to the World Series.
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He’s been relentlessly “we” instead of “me” from the day he arrived, and that was on full display Thursday at the World Series media day. You should have seen him, surrounded by cameras, swatting away Bryce-centric questions like he was Bernie Parent denying slapshots or Reggie White strong-arming hapless offensive linemen.
Question: “Is it personal for you?”
Harper: “I think it’s personal for all of us, as a team. Being able to get the Phillies back into winning games, to be able to get back to where they were destined to be … it’s been a long time since we’ve been here. To be able to get us back as a team, as an organization, it’s personal for all of us.”
Question: “This is what you’ve been waiting for. What does it feel like to be here?”
Harper: “We’re excited, as a whole group, we’re very excited. We’re excited to be here, grateful for the opportunity. We’re excited to be able to get out there and play a great game tomorrow.”
Harper signed his massive 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies after spring training had started in 2019, so he hadn’t even been with the team for a full month when he made his regular-season debut in his new uniform at his new home, Citizens Bank Ballpark, on March 28. I was there, and let’s just say it was easy to believe the press release MLB had sent out saying that Harper’s No. 3 Phillies jersey led all baseball in sales to that point of 2019.
lotsa Bryce here today ... pic.twitter.com/4RHZisWf4V
— Ryan Fagan (@ryanfagan) March 28, 2019
Harper was everywhere. Jerseys, signs, cheers and chants. He was a conquering hero who had yet to conquer anything of consequence. But he believed. And the fans believed.
Harper hit third in the lineup that day, behind Jean Segura, in front of Rhys Hoskins and J.R. Realmuto. Aaron Nola was the starting pitcher. Harper had made four trips to the postseason with the Nationals, but those four guys had never been. Harper, though, had the same number of playoff series wins as Nola, Segura, Hoskins and Realmuto: zero.
The goal was to change that. Change, though, did not come as quickly as anyone wearing a No. 3 jersey that day — Harper or the fans — might have hoped.
Harper was very good, but not great, in his first season with the Phillies — 35 homers, 4.4 bWAR, 126 OPS+ — and the club won exactly one more game than it had the year before, an even 81-81 record. Harper was better in 2020, but that was the pandemic-shortened season, and the Phillies missed the expanded playoffs with a 28-32 record. Harper won his second NL MVP award in 2021 — 35 homers, 5.9 bWAR, 179 OPS+ — in 2021, but the .500 tractor beam stayed locked in on the Phillies, who finished 80-82.
That one was especially frustrating because the NL East was so very winnable. With seven games left in the season, they were just 1.5 games out of first place in the division, but they lost six of those seven games. The Braves took the division with 88 wins, then bulldozed their way through October and won the World Series.
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It was fair to wonder whether Harper’s Phillies would ever break through. Especially after the 2022 season started in a agonizingly familiar way, to the point that manager Joe Girardi was fired with the club holding a 22-29 record. The turnaround under interim manager Rob Thomson was quick, but as momentum was building, Harper was hit on the hand by a Blake Snell pitch on June 25, resulting in a broken thumb that sent him to the IL.
The “we” carried the Harper-less Phillies, as the club went 31-20 with the reigning NL MVP on the sidelines. That’s when the 2022 club finally felt different.
And once the Phillies reached the postseason, it became a series of magical moments, delivered by so many of the “we” who were there for Harper’s first game with the Phillies. Segura had a two-run single in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. Hoskins hit four home runs in the NLCS. Nola was brilliant in his first two playoff starts. Realmuto has a pair of homers, including an inside-the-parker.
The biggest moment, though? That was delivered by Harper himself.
“It has to be one of the best baseball moments I’ve ever been a part of,” teammate Brandon Marsh told me on Thursday, “and I was just sitting on the bench. It was a lot of fun.”
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With the Phillies trailing 3-2 in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the NLCS, Harper stepped to the plate against Robert Suarez. The Phillies had a 3-1 lead in the series, but a loss in that game would pull the Padres to just one game behind, with the last two games set for San Diego, a scenario nobody associated with the Phillies wanted.
Harper smashed a 99-mph Suarez fastball over the wall in left field — an opposite-field blast — that scored Hoskins to put the Phillies ahead 4-3. It was rather incredible.
“When I hit the ball, I thought, ‘Oh man, it’s going,’” Harper said with a grin. “But also at the same time, I was just trying to take it all in, take in the moment, understand the moment, look at my teammates, share that with my teammates, share that with the organization. I was just so excited to get around the bases and get back in the dugout to share the moment with my teammates.”
They were waiting with open arms.
“He’s the showman. He’s got that clutch gene in him,” Marsh said. “It’s the work he does behind the scenes that not a lot of people see, and it comes into play in big spots like that. I guarantee he’s not up there thinking about what type of mechanics he’s got to do. He’s already done all that, so he’s ready. You’ve never got to worry about a guy like him putting the work in. It’s cool to see all his work play out on the big stage.”
And for the Philly fans who have loved Harper since that day in March 2019, it’s cool to see the “we” have an opportunity to win the World Series.
