It wasn’t exactly Yankees icon Babe Ruth pointing two fingers to Wrigley Field’s center-field wall, then belting a homer on the next pitch in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series to shut up hectoring Cubs players, but it was as close as we’ll get in these gentler days.
The top of the seventh inning was a two-run, wild-pitch calamity that cost the Phillies their one-run lead, and they couldn’t punch back against the Padres despite getting a leadoff double. Now, trailing by a run as the eighth inning began, his team reeling and the crowd at Citizens Bank Park windless and subdued, Bryce Harper grabbed his bat, approached the stairs to the on-deck circle, and looked pitching coach Caleb Cotham in the eye and said:
“Let’s give ‘em something to remember.”
Several teammates heard it. They were incredulous. Did Harper really just say that? What would come of this?
J.T. Realmuto pulled an 0-2 single. Seven pitches later, Harper turned a 99-mph, 2-2 sinker into a 109-mph rocket that pierced a driving rain and cut through a steady 10-mph wind. Like a homing missile, the ball traveled 382 feet over the wall in left-center field.
For a moment, the dugout couldn’t believe it. Did Harp just call his shot, then deliver?
Yes. Yes, he did.
Entering the World Series, his .419 average, five home runs, 11 RBIs, and 1.351 OPS all either lead or are tied for the lead among all hitters who have played more than four games in the postseason.
An hour later, dripping with champagne as they exited the trophy stage, teammates and the team’s brass offered brief descriptors of the most audacious home run in 140 years of Philadelphia Phillies history.
— Seranthony Domínguez, the reliever whose wildness cost the Phillies the lead in Game 5: “Ajenos. He’s an alien. He’s not human.”
— Jean Segura, the second baseman and second-best Phillies hitter during Harper’s tenure: “Superhero.”
— Realmuto, the All-Star the Phillies re-signed in 2021 after Harper campaigned to retain him: “Clutch.”
— Noah Syndergaard, himself once a big-market icon when he pitched for the Mets: “Heroic.”
— Kyle Schwarber, the NL home run champ who won the 2016 World Series with the Cubs: “Ridiculous.”
— Dave Dombrowski, the team president who was hired to build the team around Harper: “Legendary.”
— Rhys Hoskins, the franchise’s best homegrown right-handed power bat since Mike Schmidt: “M-V-3″ (Harper’s number).
— Nick Castellanos, whose $100 million contract finally sent the Phillies over the luxury tax: “On point.”
— Alec Bohm, whose breakout season kept the club afloat when Harper and Segura were hurt: “Superstar.”
— David Robertson,the former Yankees reliever who won a ring against the Phillies in 2009: “Amazing.”
— Zack Wheeler, the Phillies’ ace who pitched six innings and gave up two runs Sunday: “Showman. He always shows up when we need him.”
— John Middleton, the Phillies’ managing partner, whose commitment began with Harper: “Historically great.”
— And, finally, Garrett Stubbs, the backup catcher, team DJ, and a devoted fan of Prince: “Sexy [unprintable].”
