It had been 38 long games without a home run for Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper, the longest drought of his career. Unfortunately for Harper, who is still shaking off the rust after Tommy John surgery, he would get to experience the excitement and relief of breaking a slump for only the briefest of moments, thanks to Phillies closer Craig Kimbrel.
While Harper's home run ball against the San Diego Padres was still in flight and headed for the bullpen, Kimbrel decided to brazenly snag the ball with his barehand. Harper had a snarky comment in the postgame presser for Kimbrel after the game, via ESPN.com.
“That was stupid,” Harper said, causing laughs among reporters. “I already talked to him. It was terrible. You can't do that. I mean, nice catch but come on man.”
Craig Kimbrel's daring feat must have thrown Harper off, as the slugger usually acknowledges the bullpen on his way around the basepaths after going deep. Harper would quickly make amends by phoning the bullpen to show some brotherly love:
It’s been so long since Bryce Harper’s last homer that he forgot to acknowledge the bullpen.
So he picked up the bullpen phone to apologize 🤣
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) July 16, 2023
Before Bryce Harper's 38-game streak without a home run, his previous longest stretch without a homer was 25 games last season. The snapped streak was only the fourth homerless drought of at least 20 games in all of Harper's career.
Harper's power resurgence is a sight for sore eyes in Philadelphia, as he has only hit four homers this season in 218 at-bats. While going yard hasn't specifically been Harper's focus — he's still batting .298 this season — Harper spoke with reporters postgame about his approach, via ESPN.com.
“Everyone keeps talking about it, but it is what it is,” Harper said of the drought. “For me personally, keep hitting the baseball. Keep hitting it hard. I don't go out there to hit homers. I don't really try to hit homers. If you try to hit homers, it's just not good.”
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