PHILADELPHIA – Bryce Harper punished a hanging slider, sending a ball into the second deck of right field. It produced three of the Phillies’ six runs in their third-inning six-run avalanche that ignited a 10-2 victory in Game 3 of the National League Division Series, putting the Braves in a 2-1 hole. The Phillies dugout erupted, with some comparing it to Rhys Hoskins’ memorable homer (and coordinating bat slam) in this series a year ago.
It was questionable why the Braves didn’t pivot after starter Bryce Elder surrendered a homer to outfielder Nick Castellanos earlier in the frame. Outfielder Brandon Marsh and shortstop Trea Turner singled to set up Harper’s latest heroic moment, when he eviscerated Elder’s poorly placed pitch and gave Citizens Bank Park a reason to stay engaged the rest of the evening. Harper did a slit-throat gesture as he crossed home plate.
Two innings later, the Braves had a lefty face Harper in Brad Hand. Harper still smashed the ball to the deepest part of center. It landed over the wall, beyond a leaping Michael Harris II, and Harper had the seventh multi-homer game in Phillies history.
There was a subplot in this game: A FOX Sports story relayed that Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia had yelled “atta boy, Harper” in the clubhouse following the Braves’ victory in Game 2. The perceived slight was in reference to Harper getting doubled up to end the game. Arcia, who confirmed he said the comment after the game, noted it wasn’t intended to become public information.
Phillies fans began using it as proverbial “bulletin-board material,” and it became a major talking point in Philadelphia. Braves fans mostly tried dismissing it as a non-story. And in many ways, it was a non-story. It’s impossible to speak for every reporter, but many of them wouldn’t have shared Arcia’s comment. Competitive words and phrases are shouted in every clubhouse, win or lose; most of it just doesn’t leak to the masses.
But the Phillies turned it into a story. They’ve embraced it.
Harper stared at Arcia both times he rounded the bases following his homers. Asked if he enjoyed staring at Arcia, Harper responded: “Yeah, I stared right at him.”
Asked about being motivated by Arcia’s comment, Harper said the following.
“It’s a super competitive game that we play, both sides of the ball. I enjoy commentary and things. I listen to WIP (Philadelphia sports radio) and you hear a lot of stuff on there at times. I enjoy it. It’s a reason why we play this game. There’s nothing like it. Everybody is competitive that we play against and I just really enjoy those moments.
“I mean, any time anybody says something (it motivates you). That’s what it’s all about.”
Harper said he learned of the comment through his teammates. “They just told me and looked at me and were like, ‘What are you going to do?’” He and Castellanos, who also homered twice, were wearing Deion Sanders-themed Colorado Buffaloes shirts Wednesday. Castellanos said they didn’t coordinate that, but “today just felt like the perfect day to wear it.” Sanders’ team, of course, has branded itself as one that relishes perceived disrespect.
But Harper has been an issue for the Braves without any bulletin-board nonsense. He has eight homers in 16 games against them this season. He’s homered against them five times in seven postseason contests against the Braves.
Players like Harper are so exceptionally rare in sports. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a 16-year-old. He was the No. 1 overall pick in 2010 and debuted as a 19-year-old in 2012, when he also became the youngest position player to play in an All-Star Game. He won his first MVP in his age-22 season; he won his second last year. This year, he’s doing something new as he’s playing first base regularly for the first time in his career. He’s proven remarkable when it matters most, which is another testament to how he’s living up to his billing.
“You know, 17 years old, 16 years old, trying to be the number one pick, knowing that if you’re not, you’re a failure – that’s pressure,” Harper said. “Trying to make all the money you can to get your family out of an area or set them up for life, that’s pressure. This is all cake, man. This is so much fun.
“I remember telling my dad when I was 11 years old, ‘I’m going to be the number one pick, and that’s it.’ And from that moment on, it’s like, ‘okay, here’s the pressure. Here’s the ‘you have to be this, you have to be that.’ But this is all just so much fun. I’m so grateful to be here, so grateful to play this game and have that opportunity to play. And I wouldn’t be here without my good Lord willing, right? He puts me in this moment and this spot, and I’m just so thankful for that.”
Harper’s cockiness in his youth led him to wear a villain label to some – especially those in Atlanta, whose disdain for him skyrocketed after he infamously dragged his foot across the Braves’ “A” emblem in the dirt at Turner Field. When his Hall of Fame career ends, he’ll have likely spent its entirety in the NL East. It’s as if Harper is the perfect Braves nemesis.
Braves fans understandably weren’t fond of Harper’s Nationals teams. His Phillies teams are an even greater problem. For the second straight season, the Phillies could eliminate the Braves despite finishing 14 games behind them in the division standings. Harper has led the way.
In the 2022 NLDS, Harper went 8-for-16 with three doubles, two homers and five RBIs in four games. Like Wednesday, he also homered during a series-altering six-run third inning in Game 3. He has a flare for the dramatic, especially at his home ballpark where his team has been a menace.
Déjà vu: In the 2023 NLDS, Harper is 5-for-11 with three homers and five RBIs in three games. That means Harper is 13-for-27 (.481) with five homers and 10 RBIs in seven postseason games (six wins) versus the Braves. The Phillies have also won all eight postseason games in which he’s homered.
Of course, it’s not just the postseason. Harper has hit seven homers with 17 RBIs over the past two years in the regular season against the Braves (24 games). But this is where it matters. This is where every result is magnified. Harper is delivering again and again, and the Braves don’t seem to have answers.
“He’s a Hall of Famer,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s one of those guys that loves that stage. He’s a special player. You put him in the spotlight and he’s going to shine.”
Harper is every bit the talent he was expected to be and more. And he’s doing it in October – much to the Braves’ dismay. Braves flamethrower Spencer Strider will start Thursday, where he’ll try to cool the opposing offense and send the series to a winner-take-all Game 5.
