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Over the past two seasons, the Philadelphia Phillies have entered October as a team on a mission. Despite entering the playoffs as a Wild Card team in both 2022 and 2023, the Phillies managed to make it deep into the postseason. Alas, they have yet to break through with a World Series title — something that they hope will change this year now that they managed to secure a bye to the NLDS after winning the NL East crown.
One of the biggest stories surrounding the Phillies amid their emergence as one of the most dangerous teams come postseason time has been the success of Bryce Harper. Harper has long been hyped up to be one of the best players in the MLB, but he sort of lost his luster after signing a huge contract with the Phillies in 2019. But instead of going away gently into that good night, Harper has aged rather gracefully, and he figures to play a huge part once more in Philadelphia's quest to win a championship.
It feels as though Harper's ability to deliver consistent production for the Phillies is going under the radar, as if it is something to be taken for granted. But such is the life for someone who has constant pressure on his shoulders to deliver, and for Harper, that began way before he even stepped foot into the MLB.
“It's the same thing with LeBron [James],” Harper's Phillies teammate Trea Turner said, via Jeff Passan of ESPN. “They're so good at such a young age and then it's kind of expected of you, but when they're good people and it doesn't go to their head — that's the more impressive part. There's so many things that could have gone wrong, and it's a really negative way of thinking about it. But, I mean, think about how many things that people do at 19, 20 that are just stupid.”
Indeed, it's almost always a miracle when talented youngsters don't let the fame get to their heads. LeBron James and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Harper have delivered on the lofty expectations placed upon them as high schoolers — although there remains a major hurdle for the latter to clear. Can Harper finally come through with a championship for the Phillies?
Will the Phillies finally get over the hump?
The past two seasons from the Phillies have brought considerable excitement. In 2022, they barely qualified for the playoffs, but then they steamrolled past the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, and San Diego Padres to win the NL pennant before falling short against the Houston Astros in the World Series. Bryce Harper, in particular, was on fire during this postseason run.
2023 appeared to be the Phillies' year; they qualified for the playoffs via the Wild Card once more, but they made quick work of the Miami Marlins in Wild Card series before proving to be the Braves' October kryptonite yet again. Alas, despite taking a 3-2 series lead in the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks heading back to Citizens Bank Park, Harper and the rest of the team's bats went silent as they failed to make it back to the World Series.
Under the current MLB playoff format, teams that received a bye to the NLDS have not fared very well. The Phillies are looking to turn that run of misfortune around, however.
