If the Philadelphia Phillies allowed themselves to dream of it, signing Bryce Harper meant returning to the World Series. The dream came true on Sunday when Harper hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning of a rain-soaked NLCS Game 5 to topple the San Diego Padres, 4-3, and clinch a trip at the Fall Classic.
Signed for 13 years and $330 million before 2019, Harper’s tenure in Philadelphia had, until June, been a frustrating combination of individual excellence and collective mediocrity. The team took off after firing manager Joe Girardi and replacing him with bench coach Rob Thomson. Despite being the third-best team in the NL East, they came through in the playoffs over the summer and held on to sixth and last place in an expanded post-season field in September.
Now playing their own distinct brand of sometimes chaotic baseball, they have claimed the NL pennant and the franchise’s top World Series spot since 2009.
Game 5 was influenced by wet conditions throughout. Having already condensed the playoff schedule after the lockout, MLB opted to play the game in the rain in Philadelphia. There was only one day off built into the NLCS and ALCS schedules — after Game 2 — instead of the usual two.
In the top of the seventh, a downpour appeared to reverse the teams’ fortunes when the Padres gave the go-ahead to a series of wild pitches by Phillies reliever Seranthony Dominguez.
But Harper answered the next inning, blasting his memorable home run against San Diego setup man Robert Suarez. That followed a Game 4 where Harper capped a boisterous Phillies comeback with an RBI brace.
The Phillies turned to acquiring trade deadline David Robertson in the ninth, but ultimately brought in Game 3 starter Ranger Suarez to get the final two outs after two Padres reached.
Two-time NL MVP Harper writes an October caption. Despite strong teams, his stint in the Nationals produced no playoff wins. Now he has three. Batting over .400 in the playoffs so far, Harper is scorching ahead of the first World Series appearance of a career that has been under the microscope since Sports Illustrated dubbed him “the chosen one” at age 16.
He seems to be exactly that for a Philadelphia fan base that suffered from disappointment at the end of the era with Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, and then a long and winding rebuild.
In a Game 1 rematch, Zack Wheeler and Yu Darvish largely controlled the action early on. They each pitched the seventh inning, allowing two runs apiece, but neither considered the decision.
A victory for the Padres would have meant the series returning to San Diego for Game 6 and potentially Game 7. Instead, Philadelphia celebrates a pennant Sunday night and prepares for a matchup with the Astros or Yankees. Houston, up 3-0 in the ALCS, could seal that game as early as Sunday night in the Bronx.
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