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October baseball brings out a different side of players. Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper is a player who thrives in the moment and there is no bigger moment than the MLB playoffs. Harper produced several memorable postseason moments with the Phils over the years. He expects more to come in 2024.
By his own account, Harper is fond of October, his favorite month. “I love October,” Harper said. His birthday is in October, with football season in full swing and Halloween falling at the end of the month. None of it compares to playing in the MLB playoffs, especially in a city like Philadelphia.
“Your heart's beating, racing a little bit, and you've got the butterflies, and especially Game 1, man,” Harper said, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. “You go into Game 1 in the NLCS or the NLDS, and you're sitting there, and the planes are flying over, and the anthem's going, and you're like, damn, dude. It feels like Opening Day again. And I think that's a cool thing, too. It's a clean slate.”
Harper and the Phillies will get a clean slate on Saturday when they host the New York Mets in Game 1 of the NL Division Series. It's the first time the NL East rivals are playing in the postseason. The winner of the best-of-five series will get a crack at the NL pennant.
The Phillies will be favored in the series but regardless of who they play, it's championship or bust for Philadelphia this October. Harper will try to continue to build his incredible track record in the postseason. He's a career .276 hitter with a .996 OPS and 16 home runs in 49 playoff games.
Bryce Harper born for the moment, ready to deliver for Phillies
It's remarkable to look back on Bryce Harper's career and see where he is now. A teenage prodigy who can only be compared to the likes of LeBron James, Harper has arguably exceeded expectations since being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft at 17 years old.
Multiple MVPs, All-Star selections and individual awards, coupled with a $330 million contract and numerous career-defining playoff moments have Harper on a Hall of Fame path. All that's missing is a championship, something that's eluded him during his 12-year MLB career.
He is 0-1, losing with the Phillies in 2022. His former team, the Washington Nationals, won the same season Harper joined Philly in 2019.
It had to sting for Harper to see his former team lift the World Series trophy. He got his start in Washington and became comfortable in the box in a Nats uniform. His first taste of postseason baseball was with the Nats.
“That was kind of like, man, I can do this,” Harper said. “The moment's not too big, obviously. It was kind of a stepping stone. And then each year after that, it got better.”
Since then he's been a staple in the MLB playoffs, delivering several jaw-dropping moments that will live with Phillies fans for a while. He could bring more this October. As if he needed more motivation, Philly matching up with a division rival puts this series in a different atmosphere, one that Harper can thrive in better than any player.
