There was nothing but brotherly love in Bryce Harper's heart after he slammed the Cubs into a stupor Thursday night.
Harper had just launched a ninth-inning walkoff grand slam that was punctuated by a full sprint around the bases; he stopped only when he slammed into a wall of frenzied fellow Phillies.
Moments later, Harper told NBC Sports Philadelphia's Gregg Murphy just how special the moment was.
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"Besides winning the division and getting into the playoffs (with the Nationals), that was one of the coolest moments I've ever had in my life," he said, pointing to the goosebumps on his left forearm, after giving his team a 7-5 win at Citizens Bank Park. "I mean, unbelievable. This fan base, that team pulling for me each night, I mean, what a family we have here. This is unbelievable."
Sending the Philly fans home happy — or at least less grumpy — was not seen as a realistic possibility when the Fightins entered the bottom of the ninth trailing 5-1. Cubs manager Joe Maddon tried Rowan Wick, Pedro Strop and, finally, Derek Holland to close out the game in relief of starter Yu Darvish, who had thrown seven scoreless innings. Harper took Holland deep on a 95 mph inside fastball that Harper said he "cheated" on, meaning he anticipated the pitch being in that location.
Oh, and we were serious when we said Harper turned on the burners for his home run "trot."
Harper's slam served as the capper to an energizing three-game sweep of the Cubs and a possible turning point for a Phillies team that was in danger of fading from the National League playoff race. Harper himself was getting his fair share of abuse earlier in the week for lackluster offensive numbers in the first season of his 13-year, $330 million contract.
Suddenly, with one swing, the Phils moved to a game out of the second wild-card spot with Harper appearing the strongest link. They'd been waiting for him to take charge.
