Red October Continues, Phillies Are Heading Back to the NLCS

Breathe a giant sigh of relief Phillies fans, they won. They made things a little difficult at times, and our nerves were tested. We even got a brief Bryce Harper injury scare. But in the end, it all paid off in a 3-1 win, to send the Braves packing, and the Phillies back to the NLCS. For the 3rd time this season, the Phillies and Philadelphia get to party on the field at Citizens Bank Park. Two more celebrations to go.

Ranger matched Spencer Strider and then some. Just 1 run allowed through 5 innings. He passed the baton to the Bullpen. And despite some serious stress, including 3 straight walks to load the bases for Ronald Acuna, they got the job done. 4 scoreless innings, finishing with Matt Strahm coming in with men on 1st and 3rd to get 3 straight outs and close out the game. It went from Seranthony Dominguez to Jose Alvarado, to Craig Kimbrel, to Gregory Soto, and finally to Strahm. And the pitching staff held the potent Braves lineup, dubbed by many as the greatest lineup in MLB history, to 7 runs in 4 games.

But the player of the game would have to go to Nick Castellanos. His 2 HR night in game 3 went under the radar a bit since Bryce Harper did it too. But tonight, Castellanos became the first player ever to have 2 straight 2 Hr games in the playoffs, both off of Spencer Strider. He also drew a walk and singled in the 8th inning. The 3rd run came on a Trea Turner solo shot, 1 of 4 hits for him on the night.

Next up are the Diamondbacks, who swept the Dodgers out of the NLDS. They will have to come to Philly though. That series starts on Monday, with a second straight trip to the World Series on the line for the Phillies. And because they took care of business tonight, they can line it up to go Zack Wheeler game 1, Aaron Nola game 2, and Ranger Suarez game 3.

Who would pitch in game 4 is not known. But for now, who cares? The Phillies are back in the NLCS, and have a very good chance to make it to the World Series. 8 more wins and there can be a parade down Broad Street.

When the Phillies signed Bryce Harper in 2019, they knew they were getting one of the most colorful personalities in baseball. However, they might not have known that the former first-overall pick would become one of the highlights of Philadelphia sports history as a player who saves his best performances for the biggest moments.

When Harper steps to the plate at Citizens Bank Park, the crowd feels a sense of confidence. It’s typical for fans to get excited about a two-time National League MVP, but the fearless attitude that Harper carries takes things to a different level.

It could be within the frenzy of a Red October crowd or during a day game in May against a last-place team. At any given moment, opponents cannot underestimate Harper.

Philadelphia saw the flamboyant attitude of the anointed savior when he reached the majors with the Washington Nationals in 2012. Cole Hamels plunked the loudmouth rookie in a May series in Philadelphia, but Harper got the last laugh. He used the free base to steal home for the upstart Nationals. It was a spark for a team that ultimately dethroned the five-time defending NL East champs that season.

The tide turned when the Philadelphia Phillies signed Harper in 2019. A hated opponent immediately became a celebrated hero. He passed on wearing #34 out of respect for Roy Halladay. He put on the Phillie Phanatic cleats. The fans almost lost their minds after the curtain call that followed his first home run in red pinstripes.

A superstar comes up with a big play when his teammates turn to him in times of need. No professional athlete fits the definition better than Bryce Harper, and he has created some of the most incredible highlights that Phillies fans will ever see.

An unexpected comeback against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the 2022 NL Wild Card Series gave the Phillies momentum in what would ultimately become a miracle run to the World Series. Harper stepped to the plate in Game 2 in front of the “Baseball Heaven” crowd at Busch Stadium with a trip to the NLDS on his mind. He went deep off Miles Mikolas in what proved to be the game-winning hit in a 2-0 series clincher.

After Harper returned from Tommy John surgery in 2023, he struggled to find his power stroke right away. However, the two-time MVP heated up toward the end of the season. When the Phillies trailed the San Francisco Giants in the 9h inning of a late August matchup, he stepped to the plate with two men on.

When Bryce Harper represents the tying run, he has one thing on his mind. His three-run blast off 25-year-old shutdown closer Camilo Doval tied the game 5-5 and set the crowd at Citizens Bank Park on fire.

Momentum is invaluable in the MLB Playoffs. Harper’s home run in St. Louis quieted the crowd and set the tone for a road victory, and he repeated the feat 364 days later. His Game 1 home run off Spencer Strider at Truist Park pushed a sense of doubt into the Atlanta crowd. They were officially afraid of Harper and the red-hot Phillies.

Phillies fans entered the 2023 postseason excited for another World Series run. The anticipation grew in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series when Bryce Harper brought the fearless attitude that first endeared him in Philadelphia.

The Phillies led 3-1 in the 8th inning, but Harper needed some insurance. He sped around from 1st base on a Nick Castellanos gapper while Dusty Wathan held up a stop sign around third (which Harper later claimed that he conveniently missed). The aggressive baserunning helped the Phillies to a 4-1 victory and a series sweep.

Returning nearly two months earlier than expected wasn’t good enough for someone who operates on adrenaline more than any baseball player in the modern era. Harper wasn’t satisfied with staying in the DH spot. He took a crash course to play 1st base, and he looked like a Gold Glover from the first game he played. Natural athleticism and a team-first attitude provided Rob Thomson with lineup flexibility in a season Rhys Hoskins missed with a torn ACL.

When the Atlanta Braves traveled to Citizens Bank Park in the 2022 National League Division Series, they didn’t know what hit them. A 9-1 victory in Game 3 and an 8-3 victory in Game 4 sent the NL East champs home early. Harper put the Phillies up 6-0 with a two-run home run early in Game 3. He followed it up with a second home run the following day to stretch Philadelphia’s lead to 7-2 in a laugher to clinch the series. He finished 8/16 with an otherworldly 1.592 SLG% in the series.

The Phillies were hanging onto their Wild Card hopes in mid-August when the Chicago Cubs visited Philadelphia. A sweep presented the opportunity to put them in a great position in the standings, but they entered the 9th inning trailing 5-1. The Cubs felt a little tense when the Phillies cut the lead to two and loaded up the bases for one of the most feared hitters in the majors. Harper’s ball jumped off the bat, and not a single fan at Citizens Bank Park thought there was any chance it stayed in the yard. The newest superstar in the city sprinted around the bases and took a Gatorade cooler bath after crossing home plate.

Phillies fans remember Game 1 of the NLCS for the Kyle Schwarber moonshot in the 6th inning. However, it was Bryce Harper who broke the scoreless tie with a solo home run off Yu Darvish in the 4th inning. The Phillies won 2-0 on their way to a dominant series win.

It was the closest the 2022 Phillies came to winning the ultimate prize. They blasted the Houston Astros 7-0 in Game 3 at Citizens Bank Park, improving their home record to 5-0 during the postseason. Harper got things started with a two-run shot in the bottom of the 1st inning. Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh, Kyle Schwarber, and Rhys Hoskins followed suit with homers of their own. In the moment, they looked unstoppable.

Orlando Arcia poked the bear. Harper’s aggressive baserunning style burned the Phillies on a game-ending double play in Game 2 of the 2023 NLDS. Arcia’s taunting backfired. Harper came out in Game 3 with the fire that’s endeared him to the Philadelphia fans as much as any Phillie in history.

His three-run home run in the 4th inning put the Phillies ahead 4-1. As he rounded second base, he stared down the shortstop with an implication that needed no explanation. He resent the message with an identical staredown after a home run to dead center field two innings later.

It was inevitable. When Bryce Haper stepped to the plate in the 8th inning of the 2022 NLCS, every single fan at Citizens Bank Park thought about the moment that just fell into place in front of them. No rain storm could stop him. The ensuing moment sent the Red October crowd into a frenzy. Harper’s opposite-field shot earned him the NLCS MVP. It immediately became the highlight of his career and one of the best moments in the history of a franchise that’s been sound since 1883.