Bryce Harper may not win the National League MVP title again this year after an injury-plagued regular season, but what he is doing for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2022 postseason is certainly MVP-worthy.
By blasting his second home run in two home at-bats, Bryce Harper etched his name again into the all-time annals of Philadelphia sports
Harper quickly swung momentum in favor of the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night, blasting a two-run home run in his first home at-bat of the World Series and sending the crowd at Citizens Bank Park into a fever pitch.
Alright let's see what Harper does in his first World Series at bat in Philly and-OH MY WORD THAT BALL IS DESTROYED!!! pic.twitter.com/NyDrFiopUR
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 2, 2022
It was not only a home run in his first home World Series at-bat with the Phillies, but also the second consecutive homer Harper has hit in Philadelphia. His Game 5 home run against the San Diego Padres in the eighth inning transformed a 3-2 Padres lead into a 4-3 Philadelphia edge and eventually propelled the Phillies into their first Fall Classic since 2009.
With the first-inning home run, Harper’s slash line in 52 postseason at-bats stood at .404/.436/.865, with six hits going over the fence, helping earn him NLCS MVP honors.
Harper’s hot postseason follows a regular season where a fractured left thumb cost the 30-year-old former overall number one draft pick (2010 by the Washington Nationals) two months of the campaign (52 games). However, after hitting just .205 in 24 September games, Harper has once again found his stride when the bright lights of the postseason began to shine.
He has hit at least one home run in each round of the 2022 postseason, and his homer on Tuesday night ignited a Philadelphia long ball avalanche, with Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh also adding homers in the first two innings to push the Phillies to a quick 4-0 lead on its way to a 7-0 victory.
Harper’s home run on Tuesday night not only helped solidify his standing among Philadelphia sports heroes in the postseason, but also kickstarted the Phillies to the Game 3 win.