Bryce Harper

The reigning NL MVP hit a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Phillies a 4-3 win over the Padres.

The Phillies, who clinged to a 2-1 lead, watched it disappear in the seventh inning when reliever Seranthony Dominguez self-destructed. And as soon as you step on the field, really in batting practice, you can just kind of feel the electricity building.’’ It was one of just four hits Padres ace Yu Darvish surrendered, but the damage was done. Realmuto led off the eighth inning with a single to left field off reliever Robert Suarez. Said shortstop Bryson Stott, Harper's closest friend on the team: “He lives for this. Like, yeah, just the whole scene.

Just four years into his 13-year contract, he is one win away from bringing a pennant back to Philadelphia.

[alternate between bumbling fielders and clutch hitters in a matter of minutes](https://www.si.com/mlb/2022/10/22/jean-segura-phillies-wild-ride-closer-world-series-nlcs), and J.T. “He’s the best player in the game,” Long says. When Harper was a free agent, he told his agent, Scott Boras, to forget the usual bells and whistles of contracts. It’s going to be loud, and you know you’re going to have a good time. It’s literally just ‘Get in the box and get to work.’ It really is that simple. I know his swing is going to be right and it’s going to be compact and there’s probably going to be some damage involved in it. “The reason this is taking him back to when he was younger is that he was truly part of a team then. “He probably needed the postseason more than anything.” And when he signed with the [Phillies](https://www.si.com/mlb/team/philadelphia-phillies), a team with six straight losing seasons, he had to be big enough to sell tickets and drag a franchise back to respectability. [arrived as a celebrity](https://vault.si.com/vault/2009/06/08/baseballs-lebron), he had to live up to expectations and image. It was hard to break out of that role and get him into this team mode.” In the fifth, he snapped a 6–6 tie by slashing a run-scoring double off Sean Manaea, a lefty slinger.

A decade of MLB adventures led Bryce Harper to this perfect October, and his response has been classic Harper in every way.

“All the things we thought he was have turned out to be true,” Middleton said. When he received the trophy as the NLCS MVP, he was nearly expressionless. But it was built on the idea that he was self-centered at best and selfish at worst. “You bet it was,” Middleton said. It was the kind of attention Harper drew too often in those days — the unwanted kind. [a $330 million deal](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/02/28/bryce-harper-agrees-deal-with-philadelphia-phillies/?itid=lk_inline_manual_31), and at times Harper has been cast as overrated because of it. You just kind of expect it when he goes to the plate.” On a soggy Sunday afternoon, when he made what was inarguably the most important and impactful swing of his career, he calmly turned to his Philadelphia Phillies teammates, who were spilling out of the dugout to fawn over him. He propelled them to a dominant performance in the National League Championship Series, in which he collected eight hits in five games. He finished that process, it’s worth noting, by drinking salt water on the day of the photo shoot, then eating raw, white potatoes because he knew their glucose and glycine would go straight to his muscles. He is a complete hitter who is in the process of owning October. Dang if it didn’t seem like he did it on purpose, grabbing the Hollywood spotlight and turning it directly and intentionally on himself.

Philadelphia slugger Bryce Harper hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning Sunday as the Phillies rallied past the San Diego Padres 4-3 in Game 5 of the ...

[Trent Grisham](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/34995/trent-grisham) oddly bunted to put runners on second and third with two outs, although that meant a hit could score two and put the Padres ahead. [David Robertson](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/29172/david-robertson) walked two batters with one out, Game 3 starter [Ranger Suarez](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/39817/ranger-suarez) came on in relief on just one day of rest. They eliminated the Cardinals the next day and upset the Braves in four games in the division series as Harper went 8-for-16 with two home runs and five RBIs. "I think our manager has a really good ability to keep things going, to keep things going the right way," Harper said after Game 4. A former minor league player and coach, Thomson had been a longtime coach under Joe Torre and then Girardi with the Yankees before the Phillies hired him in 2018. Louis Cardinals](/mlb/team/_/name/stl/st-louis-cardinals) in the wild-card series, upsetting the 101-win [Atlanta Braves](/mlb/team/_/name/atl/atlanta-braves) in the division series and knocking out the Padres in five games. Suarez induced [Austin Nola](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32961/austin-nola) to fly out to right on the first pitch. "It is the dream," he said. Hoskins delivered another clutch home run that energized the home crowd, just as he had with his two home runs in Game 4. Realmuto](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32177/jt-realmuto) on first base after a leadoff single, Harper fell behind 1-2, fouled off two 99 mph fastballs, took a changeup just low and then crushed Suarez's 98.9 mph sinker into the left-center stands. He hadn't homered all season on a 3-0 count, but he unloaded on a Darvish cutter and crushed it 424 feet into the left-center seats for his fifth home run of the postseason. Their star-laden roster thundered to life at the right time in the postseason, knocking off the

In the dugout before his decisive home run, Harper said: “Let's give 'em something to remember.”

David Robertson got the first out of the ninth, walked the next two Padres, then surrendered the mound to No. Seranthony Domínguez replaced Wheeler with a man on first and none out in the seventh, and the misty rain that had fallen most of the game really started coming down, and Domínguez could not adapt. He uncorked four uncatchable pitches that led to two Padres runs, and the Phillies trailed, 3-2, at the end of the inning. Harper has been channeling David Ortiz, the best playoff hitter of his generation, all month, but he hasn’t been in many situations to come to the rescue. “I didn’t want to get back on that flight back to San Diego. I just didn’t want to get on a 5½-hour flight,” Harper said. Because the Phillies dearly needed a superhero Sunday afternoon. It carried Harper and the Phillies farther than anyone thought they’d go — anyone, except, perhaps themselves. And then Harper, the best hitter on the planet right now, became a Philly legend. Sitting in the GM’s box Sunday afternoon, he turned to his son, Landon, and said: They’ve got the Yoda of Pattison Avenue managing them: Zen-like Rob Thomson, or “Topper,” used his No. [they’d won the National League pennant for the first time since 2009](https://www.inquirer.com/phillies/phillies-world-series-nlcs-bryce-harper-score-game-5-20221023.html).

The biggest star in baseball was coming to Philadelphia to win a championship(s). That dream became real life in the bottom of the eighth of Game 5 of the 2022 ...

Rob Thomson Believes In The Phillies.](https://www.philliesnation.com/2022/10/the-phillies-believe-in-rob-thomson-rob-thomson-believes-in-the-phillies/) [From Black Eyed Peas to Tenacious D, Phillies Celebrate Big Wins With Party Playlist](https://www.philliesnation.com/2022/10/202881/) The velocity dipped a bit in the sixth and seventh, so it was an easy call for Thomson to take Wheeler out. Wheeler is in the middle of a historic October run. The Padres’ ability to consistently work long at-bats prevented Wheeler from going a bit longer, but the Phillies ace was amped for this one and it showed on the radar gun. The star slugger was on an unreal postseason tear as he stepped to the plate with a runner on and the Phillies down a run. On the seventh pitch of the at-bat against Robert Suarez, Harper crushed a sinker to the opposite field for a two-run go ahead home run.

Bryce Harper powered the Philadelphia Phillies past the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Sunday and into the World Series for the first the time since 2009.

After a 2-0 sweep of NL Central champion St Louis in MLB’s newly created wild-card round, the Phillies needed only four games to knock out Atlanta, the defending World Series champs. Phillies reliever David Robertson was pulled after a pair of one-out walks in the ninth. “I knew he was going to come with his heater,” the two-time NL MVP said during a TV interview.

Red October will continue into November thanks to Bryce Harper and the biggest hit of his career. The Phillies are going to the World Series.

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Harper's two-run home run in the eighth inning gave this city something few expected: the 2022 N.L. pennant.

Right there, when he hit it, he was the calmest person in the stadium.” To Castellanos, who played with Harper on the amateur circuit, it was a telling reaction. Nola patted the dirt with his glove: He wanted a changeup in the dirt, baiting Harper to chase a bad pitch. The next pitch was a 99 mile-an-hour sinker on the outside corner, and Harper unloaded. It was a stylish celebration to pair with Hoskins’ primal bat slam in the division series against Atlanta, but that was not Harper’s style. He has a better batting average (.282), on-base percentage (.394) and slugging percentage (.546) with the Phillies than he did with the Nationals, and won another M.V.P., in 2021. Hamels had a pedigree: he was the most valuable player for the Phillies in the 2008 N.L.C.S. He helped the Nationals to four division titles in seven seasons, but they never escaped the first round. He went on to win the N.L. The deal was a testament to Harper’s extraordinary talent, of course, but also to Harper caught the ceremonial first pitch on Sunday from Jayson Werth, the right fielder for the Phillies’ last championship team, in 2008. The Phillies may not be the best team in the N.L.

PHILADELPHIA — Postseason baseball is about the spin of a roulette wheel. Unlike football and basketball, where you can give the big moment to your best ...

The wish is not that Bryce Harper will play in his first World Series. If he had to play another position, if he had to move up and down the lineup, he just wants to win. Says Ron, when I ask why Philly and Bryce are such a good fit, “I think because I was an iron worker and blue collar and he was raised in that kind of family. They appreciate the fact he hustles out of the box every night and works hard and is never satisfied.” We had nobody in the majors or minors in the outfield. Suárez would pitch to Harper while Hader was pitching to the bullpen catcher, a snapshot in time the Padres will have to live with. As the legend grows, and Harper’s pennant-winning home run becomes an iconic video highlight, if there is any justice his take of that 1-and-2 changeup will be shown in tandem with that home run swing. You could hand him $300 million, $400 million, $500 million and it wasn’t going to change the guy. He came in and did a great job the inning before. The intersection of the great player and the great moment is sport at its best. Now Harper represented the go-ahead run, making that at bat all the more important to Melvin. Just say the name and the year and you know.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Bryce Harper launched a two-run home run that would prove to the difference in the Philadelphia Phillies' 4-3 victory ...

The Phillies signed Harper to an enormous 13-year, $330 million contract in March of 2019, with the hopes of bringing a championship back to the city of Philadelphia. The Astros lead the American League Championship Series 3-1. In the top of the ninth, Phillies reliever David Robertson ran into trouble, walking Brandon Drury and Ha-Seong Kim. Realmuto got the Phillies started with a single off Padres reliever Robert Suarez, setting the stage for Harper. Thomson brought in starting pitcher Ranger Suarez for a rare relief appearance. With the Philadelphia Phillies trailing the San Diego Padres 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Bryce Harper blasted a two-run home run that would send the Phillies back to the World Series for the first time since 2009.

Thanks to one iconic home run, Harper is headed to his first Fall Classic -- and an entire city is toasting the $330 million face of its franchise.

"I didn't want to get back on that flight back to San Diego," he said. The Phillies are headed to the World Series because of Harper. But Harper looked most comfortable back in the clubhouse, allowing beer to be poured on him while sharing a victory that ended the series -- instead of packing up to head across the country for Game 6. "Tonight, he was the calmest person in the stadium. Harper's arrival signaled to Hoskins that the organization was serious about winning after years of frustration. For him to come through in that moment is storybook stuff." "It's a dream," Hoskins said, wide-eyed on the field afterward. "It was cool for me," he said Sunday between puffs of a cigar. "The way he ran around the bases [in 2019] was crazy and energetic," Castellanos said. "We both want to win so bad," Castellanos said when asked what he learned of Harper this season. He has been the face of the franchise since the 2019 day he committed to the city for 13 years after owner John Middleton wrote a $330 million check to bring him to Philadelphia. "I don't like looking back," Harper said after the game, with his MVP trophy sitting next to him.

The Phillies will face the Astros, who are heading to the Fall Classic for the fourth time in six years.

[beat Mets](https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2000_WS.shtml)) [beat Cardinals](https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1987_WS.shtml)) [lost to Marlins](https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1997_WS.shtml)) [beat Tigers](https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2006_WS.shtml)) Three of the previous five won it all. 10 games). [lost to A's](https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1973_WS.shtml)) it's all for them," said Harper after the game. "But the job's not done." 3 — against the Phillies. Their last loss came on Oct. [fourth-highest](https://twitter.com/FoolishBB/status/1584315153910095873)mark ever in a single postseason (min.

They've played major league baseball in Philadelphia for 140 years, and this moment — Bryce Harper, $330 million man, face of the franchise, banging a two-run ...

“We just were trying to get him back on the field as soon as possible so if they were lucky enough to get their foot in the door, maybe they could kick it open a little bit,” Ron Harper said. “All the things we thought he was have turned out to be true,” Middleton said. Harper owns the town. He got a hug after the game from actor Miles Teller. The teams’ planes were revving up for return trips to California. Their heart doesn’t speed up as much as the guy that’s throwing to them.” For weeks, Harper has been the best hitter on the planet. After starting 22-29 and firing their manager in June, winning 87 games in the regular season, and claiming the NL’s sixth and final playoff berth, the Phillies swept the St. They overcame three wild pitches in the seventh inning by reliever Seranthony Domínguez, who threw three wild pitches all season. Ron Harper stood on the grass at Citizens Bank Park, in the middle of it all. Next up: Game 1 of the 118th World Series on Friday night in Houston. And when it landed, it sent Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins, a 240-pound mass of nervous energy, vaulting over the dugout railing.