Bryce Harper Gave Philadelphia a Series to Remember

Bryce Harper had an unbelievable performance for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2022 NLCS.

Author:
Lauren Amour
Oct 24, 2022 4:00 PM EDT

In this story:

Philadelphia Phillies

Since signing with the Philadelphia Phillies in Feb. 2019, Bryce Harper has had his fair share of iconic moments.

Perhaps the most memorable was his walk-off grand slam against the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 15, 2019. That was before Sunday.

In Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, J.T. Realmuto was on first base, and reliever Robert Suarez was on the mound for San Diego. The Phillies were trailing the Padres 3-2 in the bottom half of the eighth inning.

Harper was at the plate with the chance to send his team to the World Series on their home turf with one swing of the bat.

"I didn't want to get back on that flight back to San Diego," said Harper. "I just didn't want to get on a 5 1/2-hour flight."

With a 2-2 count on the seventh pitch of the at-bat, Harper launched a go-ahead, two-run home run into the left field seats. He glanced over at the Phillies' dugout where his teammates were going wild.

"I hit the ball, and I just looked at my dugout and kind of it's for all of them," Harper continued. "It's for this whole team. It's for this whole organization. We haven't been here for a long time. It's for every single fan that's here now and that isn't here."

The home run capped off a historically stunning series performance from Harper that earned him NLCS MVP. The slugger batted .400 with a 1.250 OPS, two home runs, five RBI, and just one strikeout in 20 plate appearances. He was unbelievable.

Before stepping into the batter's box, Harper said to Phillies' hitting coach Kevin Long, "Let's give them something to remember."

He's been giving Philadelphia fans moments to remember since he put on red pinstripes, but Sunday's game-winning blast is Harper's legacy. This moment meant something. This moment sent them to their first World Series in 13 years. This was the moment that Phillies' owner John Middleton envisioned when he signed him to a 13-year contract three and a half years ago. It's a moment that Philadelphians and baseball fans alike will look back on for years to come.

"This is great. To be able to be the last National League team standing right now. The Philadelphia Phillies, we're here," Harper said.

There aren't many accolades left that Bryce Harper hasn't received. At 19 years old, he was named Rookie of the Year in 2012, is a two-time MVP Award winner (2015 and 2021), two-time Silver Slugger, seven-time All-Star, and even a Home Run Derby champion. NLCS MVP can now be added to that list.

One thing the all-time great has yet to experience, though, is a World Series championship. For the first time in his 11-year career, the 30-year-old is getting that opportunity with the Phillies now.

"We're ready to go in that next round. We've got four more. We're going to enjoy this as a team, as a group, but we've got four more."