Bryce Harper makes highlight-reel plays in first-base debut as Phillies lose to Guardians

CLEVELAND — Bryce Harper doesn’t do anything just to do it. He strives to do it well — to be the best. It’s why, when he was activated off the injured list, he was running the bases like he hadn’t had Tommy John surgery a little more than five months earlier. It’s why he’s batting .294/.388/.412 this season. And it’s why, on Friday night, in his first career start at first base, he dove into a camera well to catch a foul pop.

For most players, moving from the outfield to first base would be a difficult transition. It still could be a difficult transition. But Harper operates on a different plane. When it was announced a few months ago that he would learn how to play first base, after playing a total of one-third of an inning there in his pro career, some reacted with skepticism. But we should know by now that he deserves the benefit of the doubt. Always.

» READ MORE: Bryce Harper makes his debut at first base in Phillies’ game against Cleveland Guardians

Harper was tested immediately on Friday, in the Phillies’ 6-5 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. In the first inning, Steven Kwan hit a ground ball past first base that he fielded and flipped to pitcher Ranger Suárez covering the bag. In the second inning, Myles Straw hit a sharp line drive his way. Harper fell to his knees and snagged it.

And in the third, he made a play that caused infield coach Bobby Dickerson to shake his head in disbelief. Amed Rosario hit a foul pop and Harper tracked it. He jumped, fell into the camera well, and secured the ball in his glove on his way down. He thrust his arm up to show that he had made the catch.

Harper said he was anticipating more netting than there was. He said he feels fine, but the Phillies are going to check on him Saturday.

“I kind of reached for it a little bit, I think,” Harper said. “Or I might not have. But I saw the ball. I thought I was going to land in the netting, but landed in the camera well. Just happy I made the play.”

“I was hoping there was a platform there,” said second baseman Bryson Stott. “I didn’t know if there was. But it was still a sick play.”

Dickerson gave him a thumbs-up. He, of all people, can appreciate what Harper is doing. He’s encouraged his pupil to be patient with himself. It isn’t an easy ask. Harper is where he is because of an insatiable desire to be great. Playing a new position for the first time — in the big leagues, no less — doesn’t always lead to greatness. But Harper always reminds us that he’s the exception, not the rule.

“I felt good [at first base],” he said. “I felt comfortable. Me and Dicky have been working for a couple of months now and it felt normal, going out there playing. Just trying to slow it down as best as possible. Just play good baseball.

“Just play the game and not play scared, right? Play the best game possible. I just want to be good for my pitcher and the infielders out there, and just try to play my best ball and do what I can to help this team.”

» READ MORE: As Bryce Harper braces for a new position, a former Phillies player weighs in: ‘First base is not easy’

It was the type of performance that warranted a win, but the Phillies (52-45) were unable to deliver. Suárez struggled in the first inning, allowing two runs over 27 pitches. He settled in, allowing one hit over his next two innings, but gave up runs in the fourth (on a Kwan single) and fifth (on a David Fry groundout) to give Cleveland a 4-1 lead. Reliever Yunior Marte entered in the sixth and allowed two RBI singles to give Cleveland a 6-2 lead. Suárez took the loss and allowed four runs on eight hits with two walks and five strikeouts on 94 pitches. Reliever Trevor Stephan tossed 1⅔ scoreless innings, striking out two, to earn the win for the Guardians.

“[Suárez] was OK,” said manager Rob Thomson. “I thought his velocity was really good. He was 94-95 at times. I thought his stuff was good. They made him work a little bit. Got his pitch count up. High pitch count in the first inning, which probably cost him an inning, after getting the first two outs and having to grind for it.

“I thought all of our pitching was actually pretty good. The key to the game was leaving the bases loaded three times. And especially in the sixth inning, with one out. You can understand it sometimes, with two outs, but with one out, you should score more runs.”

The Phillies went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. They loaded the bases in the second with two outs, only to see the inning end when Jake Cave popped out to second. Trea Turner tripled with one out in the third inning and scored on a Nick Castellanos groundout to put the Phillies on the board. They loaded the bases again in the third, but failed to drive any runners home.

The Phillies walked in a run in the sixth, but, as Thomson noted, they didn’t capitalize after loading the bases with one out. They showed some signs of life in the seventh. Harper drew a walk, and J.T. Realmuto hit a home run to make it a 6-4 game. Stott homered in the next at-bat to make it a 6-5 game. But Harper, Realmuto, and Stott went down 1-2-3 in the ninth.