Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies are currently riding high, holding strong with an impressive record of 45-19 after their win Saturday vs the New York Mets and sitting in first place in the NL East by a country mile. Harper has once again performed at an elite level thus far this year, and the Phillies on Saturday proved that their dominance knows no boundaries, as their win over the Mets occurred in London.
One topic of discussion in recent years has revolved around whether MLB players should be allowed to participate in the Olympics. Of course, with the 2024 Paris Olympics coming up in less than two months, it would be impossible to make that happen this go around, but there is some optimism that the MLB would consider allowing this for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, California.
Recently, Harper himself lobbied to the MLB brass about why the players should be allowed to participate on the world's biggest stage.
“There’s nothing more worldwide than the Olympics,” said Harper, per MLB insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “I watch the most random sports in the Olympics because it’s the Olympics, and that’s really cool. I love hockey. It’s one of my favorite sports to watch. To see (the NHL) take that three-week break and let those guys go play, that’s another big goal that we should have as Major League Baseball.
“I’ve talked to numerous people with MLB about it. I would love to be a part of that. We have the WBC, but it’s not the same. It’s not. The Olympics is something that you dream about playing in.”
This dream would of course require the MLB suspending its season for a few weeks so that players could go and participate, as the season runs directly through the late summer time when the Olympics are slated to occur.
An unbelievable season
This year, the Phillies have shaken off a bit of a rough start and now have surged ahead in the NL standings, looking like sure bets to win the NL East and break the Atlanta Braves' seven year streak of doing so (although it should be noted that in 2022, the New York Mets were in a similar position and took their foot off of the gas a bit too early, ultimately relinquishing the division).
The Phillies of course have defeated the Braves as underdogs in each of the last two postseasons after making it through the Wild Card round, which it appears they won't be tasked with participating in this year. Although they've come close, the Phillies have yet to break through to championship glory thus far in the Bryce Harper era, first losing to the Houston Astros in the 2022 World Series and then losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 NLCS despite taking a 2-0 lead in that series and having two chances to close it out at home.
In any case, after the Mets' series concludes on Sunday, the Phillies will have a day off before traveling to Boston to face the Red Sox on Tuesday.
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