The 5 Best Home Runs Bryce Harper Has Ever Hit
Bryce Harper lives for the big moment. Jayson Stark on our airwaves has referred to him as a red light player. Meaning when the red light on Network TV cameras…
Bryce Harper lives for the big moment. Jayson Stark on our airwaves has referred to him as a red light player. Meaning when the red light on Network TV cameras is on, he makes things happen. That was true again in the World Baseball Classic. He struggled for most of the tournament. But when he came up in the bottom of the 8th, with USA down 2-0, he uncorked a missile into centerfield to tie the game up.
Team USA went on to lose. But that is in spite of Harper's best efforts. He tied the game; the rest of the lineup after him just could not pick up where he left off.
It is the latest in a long line of big HRs. Harper is a guy who has repeatedly risen to the moment. So let's take a look at some of his most notable HRs in big moments.
5) Walk-Off Grand Slam
The one regular-season HR on this list. But for me, it was too iconic to leave off. It was Phillies fans' first real taste of Harper's Red Light magic.
The Phillies went into the bottom of the ninth down 5-1. A loss felt inevitable. Some fans had already left. But the Phillies started to rally. By the time Harper came up, it was 5-3, with the bases loaded. The fans, even with some empty seats, got loud and were on their feet. Harper did not disappoint. He crushed the ball. A second deck missile to walk it off.
At that point, the Phillies were still in a playoff drought. The drought didn't end for another few seasons. But it was a trase for the type of magic Harper could create with a bat.
4) Setting The Tone In Game 3
The 2022 World Series did not go the way the Phillies planned. But there was a point where it felt like they were destined to win. That point came in game 3, with Harper getting things started with this 2-run blast.
That was not the end of Harper's contributions, though. The cameras caught Harper telling something to Bohm. Bohm followed that up with a HR of his own. From there, Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, and Rhys Hoskins also went yard in the game. They teed off on Astros starter Lance McCullers 5 times.
Was there something Harper saw? Or was it just gamesmanship by Harper to get in McCuller's head? Either way, the Phillies won game 3 7-0, and they felt destined to win it all. It did not go that way, but at the time, game 3 was the most fun weve had as Phillies fans since 2011.
3) Bryce Harper Stares Down Arcia
"Atta Boy Harper." 3 words Orlando Arcia will never live down. Game 2 of the 2023 NLDS ended with Harper getting thrown out at first after taking off on a ball eventually caught in centerfield. He could not get back to 1st in time, and got picked off.
The problem is, Arcia never heard the term "don't poke the bear." He was overheard by the media jokingly saying, "Atta Boy Harper," in the lockeroom. One media member reported it, Harper saw, and he responded with something better than words, 2 HRs.
Technically, this is 2 Hrs, not 1, but for the sake of this list, I am combining them. Because Harper went yard twice in the next game, and each time coldly stared Arcia down as he rounded the bases. The Phillies demolished the Braves in that game, then went on to win game 4 to send the Braves home for the 2nd straight season.
2) Ties It Up For USA
Forget National Stage, Bryce Harper did this on an International one. Depending on how much you care about the World Baseball Classic, some might argue this is the biggest moment of his career. Plenty of players say playing for their country in things like the Olympics, or the WBC, or the World Cup in Soccer means much more to them than playing for the team that pays them.
Harper has not said those words in particular, but he has been a bigger advocate for having MLB players at the Olympics than anyone, so clearly representing his country means a lot to him. And since he can't be at the Olympics, he took the next best thing and became an American hero.
1) Bedlam At The Bank
His biggest moment in a Phillies jersey by far. The Phillies were in major danger of needing to go back to San Diego. They led the series 3-1, but blew a lead in game 5, and were a few outs away from losing.
That is when Bryce Harper stepped up to the plate. With one swing, he turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead. As Joe Davis said, it was the "swing of his life." As Scott Franzke said, it caused "Bedlam At The Bank."
Ranger Suarez shut the door, and the Phillies advanced to the World Series. It is a moment every Phillies fan will remember. Outside of the World Series, it is arguably the most legendary hits in team history, up there with Jimmy Rollins' NLCS walk-off and Matt Stairs hitting one into the night.
