Harper bounces back with mammoth Game 3 blast

Bryce Harper homers twice in NLDS Game 3

n”,”providerName”:”Twitter”,”providerUrl”:”https://twitter.com”,”type”:”oembed”,”width”:550,”contentType”:”rich”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”Harper’s first shot came shortly after Nick Castellanos had tied the game at 1 with a solo homer earlier in the frame. Elder had held the Phils hitless through the first two innings.”,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”Video”,”contentDate”:”2023-10-11T21:59:39.579Z”,”preferredPlaybackScenarioURL({“preferredPlaybacks”:”mp4AvcPlayback”})”:”https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-10/11/546a6008-13100bb0-e198db00-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4″,”type”:”video”,”description”:”Nick Castellanos responds to the Braves’ early run with a solo homer to left field, tying the game at 1 in the 3rd inning”,”displayAsVideoGif”:false,”duration”:”00:00:29″,”slug”:”nick-castellanos-homers-1-on-a-fly-ball-to-left-field-c1ta92″,”tags”:[{“__typename”:”InternalTag”,”slug”:”season-2023″,”title”:”Season 2023″,”type”:”season”},{“__typename”:”GameTag”},{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-592206″,”title”:”Nick Castellanos”,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:592206″},”type”:”player”},{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-143″,”title”:”Philadelphia Phillies”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:143″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”hitting”,”title”:”hitting”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”highlight”,”title”:”highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”in-game-highlight”,”title”:”in-game highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”game-action-tracking”,”title”:”game action tracking”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”home-run”,”title”:”home run”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”nlds”,”title”:”NLDS”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”series-a”,”title”:”Series A”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”postseason”,”title”:”postseason”,”type”:”taxonomy”}],”thumbnail”:{“__typename”:”Thumbnail”,”templateUrl”:”https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/jpv0eguneurofdiyeair”},”title”:”Nick Castellanos’ solo home run”,”relativeSiteUrl”:”/video/nick-castellanos-homers-1-on-a-fly-ball-to-left-field-c1ta92″},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:””It’s almost inhuman at times, but you kind of expect it,” Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long said of Harper on the TBS broadcast. “The bigger the moment, the more he seems to come through.”nnPhiladelphia continued to tack on following Harper’s homer, with catcher J.T. Realmuto capping a six-run third inning with a two-run double. It was reminiscent of Game 3 of last year’s NLDS, when the Phils also used a six-run third inning — one that featured a memorable three-run homer by Rhys Hoskins — to seize control of the game en route to a 9-1 victory and a 2-1 series lead.”,”type”:”text”}],”contentType”:”news”,”subHeadline”:null,”summary”:”PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper took a long look at the ball after it left his bat. Then, as he rounded second base, Harper turned his glance toward Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia.nAfter being doubled off first base to end a wild Game 2 on Monday night at Truist Park, Harper”,”tagline({“formatString”:”none”})”:null,”tags”:[{“__typename”:”InternalTag”,”slug”:”storytype-article”,”title”:”Article”,”type”:”article”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”nlds”,”title”:”NLDS”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”series-a”,”title”:”Series A”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-143″,”title”:”Philadelphia Phillies”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:143″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”ContributorTag”,”slug”:”paul-casella”,”title”:”Paul Casella”,”type”:”contributor”},{“__typename”:”GameTag”,”slug”:”gamepk-748564″,”title”:”2023/10/11 atl@phi”,”type”:”game”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”apple-news”,”title”:”Apple News”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-547180″,”title”:”Bryce Harper”,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:547180″},”type”:”player”}],”type”:”story”,”thumbnail”:”https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/lqmrhuy7rqptpkucqrjv”,”title”:”Bryce Harper homers twice in NLDS Game 3″}},”Person:547180″:{“__typename”:”Person”,”id”:547180},”Team:143″:{“__typename”:”Team”,”id”:143},”Person:592206″:{“__typename”:”Person”,”id”:592206}}} window.adobeAnalytics = {“reportingSuiteId”:”mlbglobal08,mlbcom08″,”linkInternalFilters”:”mlb”} window.globalState = {“tracking_title”:”Major League Baseball”,”lang”:”en”} window.appId = ” /*–>*/

31 minutes ago

PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper took a long look at the ball after it left his bat. Then, as he rounded second base, Harper turned his glance toward Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia.

After being doubled off first base to end a wild Game 2 on Monday night at Truist Park, Harper wasted no time atoning for the mistake in Game 3 on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park. With the contest tied at 1 in the third inning, Harper teed off on a slider from Atlanta starter Bryce Elder for a go-ahead three-run homer.

The ball left Harper’s bat at 109.5 mph and traveled a Statcast-projected 408 feet into the second deck in right field. As he rounded second base, Harper appeared to take a long look at Arcia, who reportedly called out the Phillies first baseman’s baserunning blunder in the Braves’ clubhouse following Game 2.

Harper once again stared down Arcia after crushing a fifth-inning solo homer in his next at-bat for his first postseason multihomer game. That one jumped off his bat at 109.8 mph and traveled a Statcast-projected 414 feet into the trees beyond the center-field wall.

“Yeah, you don’t need anything to motivate him,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said prior to Game 3. “But as I said yesterday, if … that adds to his motivation, then thank you.”

Of course, Harper hasn’t seemed to need any extra motivation when it comes to facing the Braves on the game’s biggest stage.

Through his second homer, Harper was 13-for-25 (.520) with eight extra-base hits (including five homers) and 10 RBIs in seven career postseason games against Atlanta. Harper has homered in four of the past five playoff meetings.

Harper’s first shot came shortly after Nick Castellanos had tied the game at 1 with a solo homer earlier in the frame. Elder had held the Phils hitless through the first two innings.

“It’s almost inhuman at times, but you kind of expect it,” Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long said of Harper on the TBS broadcast. “The bigger the moment, the more he seems to come through.”

Philadelphia continued to tack on following Harper’s homer, with catcher J.T. Realmuto capping a six-run third inning with a two-run double. It was reminiscent of Game 3 of last year’s NLDS, when the Phils also used a six-run third inning — one that featured a memorable three-run homer by Rhys Hoskins — to seize control of the game en route to a 9-1 victory and a 2-1 series lead.