PHILADELPHIA — History is made one swing at a time, one moment at a time. But especially, history is made in October. So what do you think? Is Bryce Harper trying to tell us that October is his kind of month?
As he wiggled into the batter’s box in the third inning Wednesday night in Philadelphia, 45,000 people looked at each other and thought: Whoa. What are we going to see now?
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And not all of those people were sitting in the seats of Citizens Bank Park, trying to set off their own earthquake. A couple dozen of those folks were hanging out in the first-base dugout, where the Phillies go to work every night.
So they know exactly what it means when it’s Harper’s time to meet another moment. And this was that time. This was his time.
Game tied, 1-1. This Phillies-Braves National League Division Series tied, 1-1. Two men on base. The ballpark unleashing its thunder. So of course, Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs found himself turning to Kyle Schwarber and saying precisely what you’d imagine Harper’s teammates would say then:
“What better guy would you want up at the plate?”
He’s That Guy, all right. He’s Bryce Harper, setting his GPS toward Cooperstown. He is a man filling a storybook with game-changing, season-changing swings for the ages. And this was about to be one of them.
Sit back and watch it again. It’s yet one more reminder that this is a man with an excellent sense of how to electrify a ballpark.
🔔🔔🔔 #RedOctober pic.twitter.com/kVC2yRiKCD
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 11, 2023
“There’s a reason you get the nickname, ‘The Showman,’” his friend and teammate, Bryson Stott, would say later. “He’s just one of those guys where it feels like any time you need a run, you need a hit, you need a home run, he’s always up. And then he always does what he’s supposed to do.”
This was the swing that changed everything about Game 3 of this NLDS. There was another big swing, and a second home run, to come, two innings later, that propelled the Phillies to a staggering 10-2, six-homer pounding of a 104-win Braves team that now can’t afford any more of these nights.
But this was also a chance to take a step back and take stock of what we’re watching. And it’s time to recognize that what we’re watching is a guy with a claim not just to greatness but also to historic greatness.
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He has the numbers. He has the moments. He has that magical gift for putting up those numbers when the moments mean the most. And Wednesday night, Harper manufactured another one of those moments, almost as if he can conjure them up on demand. But that’s not how it works — at least not for everyone else.
“Every time,” Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman said. “Every time. It’s incredible. That’s something that, it only happens to the greats. That’s something he’ll be known for when he’s done playing: Bryce Harper was one of the best ever in the big moment. Like (David) Ortiz, like those types of guys.”
But it’s about more than The Moments. Jim Leyritz had his moments. David Freese had his moments. Kiké Hernández had his moments. But when you combine The Moments with The Numbers, that’s where the highlight reels and the history lessons collide.
So you want numbers? Let’s talk about Bryce Harper’s numbers.
Let’s talk about the all-time postseason OPS leaderboard of every player in history with at least 150 postseason plate appearances. It’s quite a list. Guess who just crashed it?
| Player | OPS | PA |
|---|---|---|
Lou Gehrig | 1.214 | 150 |
Babe Ruth | 1.214 | 167 |
George Brett | 1.023 | 184 |
Carlos Beltrán | 1.021 | 215 |
Bryce Harper | 1.011 | 181 |
(Source: Baseball Reference / Stathead)
Incidentally, a guy named Albert Pujols used to rank in the top five, at .995 — except Harper zoomed past him Wednesday night. And who knows, Carlos Beltrán and George Brett could be next.
“I’m just glad he’s getting the opportunity to do this,” Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long said. “It doesn’t always happen. We don’t always see that. But we’re getting to see one of the greatest players of all time in his element. It’s pretty cool.”
I read off that list of all-time postseason OPS leaders to Long, then asked him: What does it tell us to see Harper’s name on that list?
“It just says how great he is,” Long replied. “Really, in essence, when we’re talking about pressure situations, he doesn’t feel it. He doesn’t. He thrives. He’s not feeling pressure. He’s actually gaining steam. In those situations, it’s almost like he’s more relaxed — and better than he would be if it was any other situation.”
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Except that shouldn’t be possible, right? Not in this sport. So it was fascinating to hear Harper’s hitting coach dissect the inner workings of the most historically gifted hitter he has ever coached.
“The best in the world — what do they want?” Long philosophized. “Michael Jordan wants the ball. Bryce Harper wants the at-bat. Let’s go to football: Patrick Mahomes wants the drive to win the game. That’s the same. They thrive in those moments. They look forward to them. And it just seems like, in those opportune times, those guys come through.”
But let’s say this again. That shouldn’t be possible. Baseball is too hard. Hitting has never been harder. The stuff coming out of pitchers’ hands has never been more voracious. The information behind those pitches has never been more precise. So how can it be possible for anyone to possess that quality Long is talking about?
“When it came down to the stretch, Michael Jordan wanted the ball,” the hitting coach said again. “That’s just it. That’s the closest I can get to giving you that. Now, in baseball, it’s a lot harder because you don’t get those opportunities. And you know how hard it is to hit a baseball? That’s what’s even more fascinating.
“We were talking about that in the dugout. (Phillies starting pitcher) Taijuan Walker was like, ‘How does this guy do it?’ I said, ‘Dude, he thrives in these situations.’”
But let’s revisit that attitude one more time. It seems almost too easy to say. It’s so much harder for humans to do. So is it focus? Is it self-assurance? Is it a vision that enables Harper to see these moments in his head before he ever steps into a box?
“There’s a vision,” Long said. “But it’s almost like, ‘OK, I was born for this. I was made for this situation right here.’ And that’s the way they look at it. I mean, he feels like when those opportunities come about, or they present themselves, that it’s his time. There’s the prey. I’m going to pounce on it, and let’s see what happens. But all I can tell you is, I’ve never been more confident of a guy in a big situation.”
Long’s first glimpse of Harper came in Washington when Harper was just starting this journey, and the narrative from the outside was that he was more hype than reality. But now, in this Philadelphia chapter of that journey, we’re beginning to see what the real measure of the man was all about.
Last October — as Harper was lifting the Phillies to a shocking trip to the World Series with one of the great postseasons of the past 50 years (.349/.414/.746/1.160, with six homers, 13 extra-base hits) — it was clear there was something different about him.
Now, though, here he is, doing it again. He is slashing .353/.500/.882/1.382 in this postseason. And it’s elevating yet another Phillies team to the edge of a second consecutive trip to the NLCS.
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“He instills a lot of confidence in all of us, right?” Stubbs said.
But he also instills the Phillies with the belief that they’re watching something historically significant. And they’d be right about that.
“I’ve thought about it,” reliever Matt Strahm said. “I mean, he’s got a plaque (in the Baseball Hall of Fame) waiting for him.”
And while that road to Cooperstown is paved over years of excellence from April to September, it’s October where legends are born. So ponder the October legendhood of Bryce Harper.
• The list of players with a 1.000 OPS and as many career postseason homers as Harper (14) consists of three men: Babe Ruth, Beltrán and Harper.
• The list of players with as many homers as Harper and a slugging percentage as good as Harper (.635) consists of only two men: Harper and Ruth.
• He has hit a home run in eight postseason games since joining the Phillies. The Phillies are 8-0 in those games. And according to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is tied, with longtime Braves catcher Javy Lopez, for the longest postseason streak in history by any player to start his career with a single team. But Harper’s streak is the longest by any player after joining a new team. (Hat tip: Sarah Langs.)
• If you go back to his days with Washington, Harper’s teams now have ripped off nine straight victories in games he’s homered. Only Carlos Correa (10) and Bernie Williams (10) have had a longer streak with any team, at any point in a career, according to Elias.
• And over these last two postseasons with the Phillies, Harper leads every player in baseball (minimum 40 plate appearances) — yes, even the fearsome Yordan Alvarez — in OPS (1.210), home runs (nine), slugging (.770), extra-base hits (16) and, of course, moments met.
“I’m so grateful he’s getting this opportunity because it didn’t necessarily have to happen,” Long said. “And that’s why he appreciates his teammates so much. He appreciates everybody involved. And it’s very heartfelt. And that’s why he talks about his teammates and he talks about Philly. Because he knows he wouldn’t get to do this if it wasn’t for all the guys in that locker room.
“And now,” said Long, “we’re getting to see one of the greatest players of all time, on the biggest stage. And it’s really special.”
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(Top photo of Bryce Harper watching his three-run home run in the third inning: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)